


Lone Wolf

by SailorScribble



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: (I love me some travelin'), Action & Romance, Angst and Humor, Brotherly Love, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, International, Japanese Culture, Jealousy, Joel Morricone, Little bit of Young Jesse/Hanzo, Little bit of verbal abuse cuz both Jesse and Hanzo have bad tempers, M/M, Novel, Post-Recall, Self-Hatred, Slow Build, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, With a YA feel, lore heavy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-04-01
Packaged: 2019-03-01 15:29:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 36,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13297812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorScribble/pseuds/SailorScribble
Summary: Hanzo is running, while Jesse wants to run no more. Hanzo wants nothing to do with Overwatch, while Jesse hopes that maybe they can see past his Blackwatch days and accept him back in. Hanzo refuses to believe that 'that thing' is his brother, while Jesse would do careless, foolish things to ensure the safety of his old friend. Mixed with an ugly history involving one chopping off the arm of the other... Well, there is little reason why these two would ever get along.They do have one thing in common, however; they both want to fix terrible mistakes. In doing so they will, against all their better judgment, begin to desire something far greater than redemption or peace.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing fan-fiction. Ever. So apologies in advance for being a noob. I've already made some changes to streamline the story. I hope to keep any big edits minimal~
> 
> This is more of a writing challenge; I've started many novels but have never written to completion. Hopefully this will be the first time I can do that. I expect this to be novel-length but I assure you there is a decisive ending.
> 
> This story is post-recall and I am trying to be true to the lore and characters (but I'm not a wikipedia, so I am sure I will make mistakes here and there. ) I also want to weave in my experiences living abroad, which is why this story starts in Akita, Japan. :)
> 
> Please enjoy and again, seriously, I should warn you... This is going to be a slow build, and there are a lot of complex plot elements that I'm hoping to weave together from what I've gathered from the lore.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> P.S. I would really appreciate feedback / suggestions on where to go next! Please feel free to contact me via my tumblr: https://sailorscribble.tumblr.com/ -- Hopefully when I get my tablet working I can draw some pictures too!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings everyone! This is a /short/ introduction for a long fanfiction, setting the stage of our two enemies to lovers in their not so great situations. A spoiler/teaser - they will come together in the next chapter. ;) Please enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

 

_“The world is changing again, Hanzo, and you will have to pick a side.”_

_“Life is not like the fairytales our father told us! You were a fool for believing so!”_

 

Hanzo shot the head right off the omnic. In an angry fit he threw Storm Bow to the ground, charged toward the defunct machine, and slammed his foot into it, over and over, until it was nothing but scrap metal.

It’s not the most graceful scene for him, he knows. The Lord of the Shimada, current or past, and even when alone, would never act so childish.

But this is not a normal situation. The ghost who haunted his dreams came back in the flesh.

Well… Not exactly flesh.

His dark eyes scorn the sputtering scraps beneath him, left-over sparks hissing and popping, like an animal freshly killed, it’s nerves still twitching. He feels it beneath his skin, the dragons are sizzling, awake, more active than they have been in a long time.

He doesn’t know what to think. He doesn’t want to think. He picked out this secluded forest to hideout, to clear his mind, he even found a defunct omnic to use as a practice dummy, but fury overtook him and now here he stands over the rusty remains. Like a child.

Like his petulant little brother.

" _Life is not like fairytales.”_ He had scolded, falling back into the role of bossy older brother like nothing had changed. Of course he sees the irony of his words.

After all, don’t the dead only come back in fairytales?

He grabs his bow.

It’s time to move again.

It’s been less than a week since the fateful reunion, and everyday Hanzo increases the distance between him and Hanamura. Moving North, where Spring hasn’t come yet, going backwards in time. He occupies his thoughts with how to get to the next point, the next hideout, the next meal… It’s how he’s lived for almost a decade, but now it feels so much more urgent.

He threw a wolf pelt over himself as a few stray snowflakes trickle down from the sky. His body begs for rest, to stop running, to give into at least one full night’s sleep. But the dragons are unrelenting.

This will be another sleepless night.

 

\----

 

A bright light blinded Jesse McCree. He tried lifting his hands to block it, forgetting he was handcuffed to the table. He nearly laughed, “Really find that necessary? Not like I don’t recognize you.”

A thin feminine silhouette slammed her hands on the metal table, “Why are you here?”

“Well, _Lena_.” Emphasizing her name to prove his point, “Same reason as you I s’pose. I was recalled. I’m just fulfillin’ my duty.”

“Duty!?” The stout shadow next to her growled, “An outlaw vagabond? Robbing from trains and the like?”

Lena piped up again, “Last I remember you took up arms against us at headquarters!”

Jesse's mouth is dry, his wrists hurt, and he's incredibly tired. Getting all the way to Gibraltar was no simple feat, and a thought nags in his mind that he's 'getting too old for this'. And he's a little hurt, too. But could he really have expected them to accept him back in with open arms? He'd be the first to say that 'life ain't that easy'.

None of this keeps him from being cheeky; McCree tilted his head, “ _One_ of those things is true.”

“Don’t play games with us, cowboy!” Torbjorn was shaking with fury, but Lena calmed him with a gentle hand, “If you really _are_ here because of the recall, what took you so long?”

McCree leaned back as far as the shackles would allow. He recognized this room -- though he had to admit he wasn't used to seeing it from  _this_ angle. He mulls over her question, rerunning days as a bounty hunter/fugitive -- days and nights in shacks or abandoned houses without a soul to speak with aside from mangy pests and rotting photographs. Train hopping, ferrying, hitchhiking, always moving yet going nowhere: “Guess I realized a lone wolf never hunts its own prey. It only gets the scraps the pack leaves behind.”

Lena and Torbjorn looked to each other; he couldn't see their faces but he could guess they were confused.

He leaned in again, “See, I’ve been having run ins with Talon. Probably like the rest of ya.” He shrugged, “And well…” he nervously looked aside, still not comfortable with sharing what he knew. But he had already resolved to. He took a deep breath and let it out; “Think they’ve been recruiting old Blackwatch agents.”

“How do you know?” Torbjorn growled.

“They recognized me.”

The shadows before him shifted nervously, then a metallic voice spoke up from the darkness, “Let him go.”

“Genji? That you?” Jesse tugged on the shackles, squinting into the darkness.

Genji appeared from the shadows, arms folded, emanating a soft green glow. The man looked exactly as McCree had last seen him, though he could guess cyborgs wouldn't age much. “I saw him during the revolt." Genji explained, "He turned against Reyes in the final moments of battle…”

McCree’s throat buckled. It was a memory he hated reliving. Only made worse by them all looking at him, scrutinizing him while exposed under the spotlight. At least they afforded him his hat, which he now tried to hide under.

“Is it true?” Lena asked gently.

McCree stared at a scrape of rust etched across the surface of the table. Then he sighed, “Yeah… Realized that what he was doin’... Well. It just wasn’t right, was it?”

Shame. He knew he couldn’t hide it. Painted across his face like a rodeo clown. A moment of silence passed between the lot of them, before the Swede threw up his hands, “Fine! He can join us, but I still don’t trust him!”


	2. Sulfur and Matches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phantoms and dragons and wolves (oh my!).
> 
> Our story officially begins with Genji and McCree's first official "Recall" mission in the chilly North of Japan, but the old partners aren't exactly as close as they used to be. McCree's been too long away from human contact, and ghosts from the past loom perilously over their heads.

The cherry blossoms haven’t bloomed here yet, but they are about to. The little buds dot the spiny branches above him, threatening to open at any minute. There are still patches of snow on the ground, chilling his legs where metal armor met flesh. Hanzo is walking rather boldly in the open down the gravel main street, but there is no reason for him to hide. This town is abandoned. Much like the rest of Akita.

This town had it’s moment of glory, when the Japanese government unearthed a previously abandoned mine to collect silver before the omnic crisis. But it collapsed in tragedy and was left behind. A town frozen in time, save for the trees, which have moved in to fill the empty spaces.

It is a more than appropriate place for one of his many hideouts; Akita’s mountains shield it from the rest of the world. The locals still have fantastical stories of demons lurking on the forbidding mountain peaks. This became a place for him to escape when he had to lay low.

Much like now.

He observes the buildings around him; some have collapsed from the past winter. If one didn’t know better, they might think that the buildings were crushed by some giant’s fists, the way they have sagged and bent. It is not natural decay. But Hanzo knows the truth; without proper care, the endless snow of Akita can crush even the mightiest of man’s constructions.

Hanzo wondered if the old shrine he used as a hideout was able to hold. _Ginzan_ towers before him; despite being carved almost hollow, the mountain still stands.

Suddenly, he hears something.

Hanzo dove off the road and into an old graveyard. He crouched low behind the pillared tombstones as a ratty truck rumbled through the trees. He is not concerned, at first, sometimes old farmers come here to forage for mountain vegetables, or to pay their respects to the dead.

But then he notices it, spray painted boldly on the side.

The Talon insignia.

“ _Kuso-_ ” Hanzo growled.

He wasn’t the only fugitive who recognized the safe solitude of Akita’s mountains.

The truck rumbled past, despite having no wheels, it shook on the uneasy terrain. Hanzo watched as it gathered distance between them, heading toward the shrine. His safehouse.

There was activity up ahead. In his new position in the graveyard, Hanzo could see a complex tucked around a bend. Armed men appear from the buildings closest to greet the truck.

All Talon.

He scolds himself for letting his guard down. For almost walking into a den of enemies...

Were they enemies though?

A smooth voice drifted back from his memory: _“Hanzo… You should consider joining us. I think we’d see eye to eye.”_

Then Genji's metallic prattling: “The _world is changing again, Hanzo, and you will have to pick a side.”_

He wanted to bet both of them, continue moving toward his goal without ‘picking a side’. And yet, there they are around every corner. Both forces closing in around him.

The archer slowly started to back away, accidentally placing his hand in a pile of incense ashes. He lurched and pulled his hand back, as if it were still burning.

_“You honor your brother with incense offerings? Honor comes from actions!”_

_“Kuso!”_ He cursed again.

The dragons roil in his belly. He rubs his temples. He knows what he must do.

\----

_“I’ve never been to Japan before.” Angela said, with her face nearly plastered to the window of the train car. Her blond hair tickled the fogged glass, leaving small traces behind._

_“Neither have I.” McCree drawled._

_Gerard Lacroix laughed, “There will be much for you two to learn then…”_

“I’ve never been to Akita before.” Genji suddenly said.

He was sitting across from McCree on the bullet train with a tourist booklet in his lap, “Akita _…_ ” he murmured, “It means ‘autumn rice fields’. We might be coming at the wrong time, then.”

McCree glanced around; the train car was empty, “Explains why we have the place to ourselves. Reckon I could get away with a smoke?”

“No.”

Jesse grumbled to himself, adjusting his hat and his seating situation. He tried stretching his legs out but found the seats to be a tad close together; he remembered feeling so tall and big the last time he visited Japan. But the seats were plush and the ride was smooth. Much better than the top of the train, that was for sure.

He looked across to Genji - and with better company too; “Sure nice being partner’d with you again.”

The lights of Genji's visor beamed just a  _little_ brighter, “It is.”

“Almost like old times, friend.”

“Almost.”

“Hope we can pull more folks back to Overwatch. Wasn’t expecting there to be so few of us…”

Genji nodded, “We can only hope Reaper hasn’t got to the others.”

Jesse shifted in his chair, quickly made more uncomfortable at the mention of the phantom menace. Time to change the subject, “So, this little town we're visiting,  _Ginzan_." He flicked open his comm, rereading the briefing Athena had prepared for the two, "Abandoned mining town in the North of Japan, and supposed Talon hideout... According to an  _anonymous_ tip."

Genji didn't move, but McCree had long learned to read the smallest indications of his manner - the way the lights flickered around his armor, the gentle whir of his mechanics (or the silent lack thereof). All was functioning as normal until Jesse said the word 'anonymous'; the lights dimmed slightly.

Jesse frowned, "What's up?"

Genji sighed deeply, an exhale of compressed air from his mechanics: "I have reason to believe the tip was not...  _anonymous_."

"You know someone out there?"

"My brother."

First, shock. Then rage. Jesse withheld an urge to leap from his chair and shout at him. Boy was it tempting; they were alone, after all. McCree drummed the metal fingers of his left hand on the arm rest, making a harsh rapping sound: "Hanzo."

"Yes."

McCree knew the two had become reacquainted. After all, it was  _he_ who discovered that Hanzo was still alive, when he came across the bounty on the man’s head. And it was  _he_ who discovered at the little ramen shop outside the Shimada palace that the fallen Lord paid his home a visit every year. But he left the decision to act up to Genji… And what did he do?

“I’m still reelin…” McCree shook his head, “Reelin’ that instead of slittin' his throat you  _invited him to join Overwatch._ ”

Genji gave a long grating hum, the light of his visor dimmed. He was tired of repeating this conversation, “Just as you deserve another chance, Hanzo does too.”

McCree withheld an eye roll, “Is that  _you_  talking or that  _sensei_ of yours?”

“Zenyatta.” Genji corrected.

“Yeah, zen, peace, and love and all that. I’m surprised he let you join Recall. Wouldn’t think someone with ‘zen’ in the name would be very supportive of their pupil taking up the sword again.”

“Zenyatta does not control my actions. And our brother, Mondatta, was assassinated. We recognize that some must fight to protect against those who desire war. So, when Agent Mei-Ling Zhou came to Nepal, I agreed to go with her.”

"Okay fine." McCree couldn't help raising his voice, "But that still doesn't explain why we're on a train heading straight into the damn dragon's den!" He shouted.

Despite no one being in the train, Genji looked around nervously, "I'm sorry I didn't say before."

Jesse immediately felt bad for shouting, but it did little to subside his anger, "Ought to just turn this whole thing around." But that was completely foolish, he knew. They had already come this far.

The train’s overhead chimed, “ _Sugi no eki wa ‘oomagari’ desu_. The next station is Omagari.”

Genji stood up, “That’s our stop.” The other stood and quickly walked away. Jesse took a deep breath, feeling like he just made a big mistake.

 

 -----

After a bumpy ride on a local train, they arrived in a tiny town tucked away in the mountains. There was a main street with some rusting buildings, the station, a playground with a squeaky swing, and not a soul to be seen. The mountains and pine trees crept up into the heavens, patches of snow drizzling down from it’s peaks. Everything slowly beginning to thaw.

Disguised as a prospector interested in reopening the mines, and Genji his omnic translator, the two walked up to the local inn where they had arranged to stay.

“ _Irrashaimase!”_

The boys were greeted by a squat middle-aged couple. Jesse wished he could match their cheer, but he was still perturbed. He was a good faker though; “Howdy!” McCree beamed back at them, ducking under the low door frame and sliding the door shut behind him.

Genji’s metal shoes clicked off of his feet before he stepped onto the wooden floor of the foyer. He bowed politely, “ _Konnichiwa,_ ” and they began chatting in Japanese. Meanwhile Jesse fumbled to take off his boots, nearly falling over in the process before stumbling after Genji.

He bit his lip and folded his arms, trying to follow the conversation through context, but failing. He stood there waiting for Genji to fill him in and observed the inn; the small foyer was decorated with a variety of photographs, crafts, and other knick knacks the couple must have collected over the years - including some cute little wooden dolls that lined the windowsills. He noticed that the inn had a distinct smell of sulfur from the baths, masked by the pungent scent of pine wood. The smell was familiar, uncomfortably familiar.

He shifted his weight, anxiously waiting for Genji to translate back to him.

At the mention of  _Ginzan._  The owners' faces changed. Some hushed words were passed between them until McCree prodded Genji, “What all they saying?”

“They are concerned about your interest in reopening the mines. There are many rumors surrounding it. It’s fallen to tragedy  _twice._ They think the place is cursed, haunted by ghosts.”

The couple nodded. The elderly woman handed him a brochure from the reception desk.

 _TRAGEDY AT GINZAN._ The brochure read in English. The couple waited expectantly as Jesse opened the folds, finding a map of the the mine and brief descriptions of their history and demise. The first tragedy was in the 1800s, when a fire took the lives of over a hundred men, the second occurred right before the omnic-crisis, when the mine was reopened as the demand for silver increased. The later mine's tragedy was less "catastrophic", as much human labor had been replaced with omnic. This was, of course, before people began accepting that omnics may have sentience. Jesse swallowed hard, finding the otherwise camp brochure to be difficult to palate. He shoved it into his back pocket, “Have they mentioned seeing any activity around the mines?”

Genji asked the couple. The wife lit up, “ _Chotto matte kudasai!_ Ah-  _ano…_  Please wait!"She rushed into a back room.

“Huh?” McCree looked to Genji, who shrugged.

She came back with a small dish of tightly furled plants, “Please try  _sansai!_ ”

“ _Sansai_?”

She began explaining in Japanese while shoving the dish into McCree’s hands, “Whoa! Okay! Uh…” She gestured for him to try. McCree took a bite while she watched, eyes aglow. Her husband watched too, bitterly.

Genji struggled to find the right words, “It’s… a kind of vegetable you can forage from the mountains, especially around the abandoned mines. You want to take them like this, before they unfurl. After they are too bitter.”

Jesse wasn't a fan of vegetables, and these weren't any special. Somewhere between broccoli and asparagus and he very much disliked both. But he was first and foremost a gentleman and so he gave the wife a friendly smile, “Damn good! I’ll keep an eye out for ‘em.” He winked.

She swooned. Her husband looked away, folded his arms and huffed, “ _Kakouii-na!?”_

 ----- 

By noon the two stood at the entrance of the only road leading to the abandoned mining village. The gravel road all but disappeared into overgrowth, and monstrous trees lined along the sides, casting long shadows across the road. A rusty sign warned them of danger up ahead.

“Bad spirits, huh?" McCree scoffed, "Like one of Reinhardt's stories."

“Do not be so skeptical." Genji stood next to him with his arms folded, "We have no reason to believe they are wrong."

McCree nearly spat out his cigarillo, "C'mon now Genji, don't tell me you believe in that stuff?"

“Zenyatta taught me that there are no coincidences. There may be a reason why this mountain cannot be mined. One that we cannot understand, yet.”

"Yeah, well, I doubt it has to do with any ghosts." Jesse exhaled a long low cloud of smoke, considering the real threats before them: Talon. Hanzo. Honestly wasn't sure what was worse.

His phantom left hand twitched and burned - the memory of it being sliced off by Hanzo's sword suddenly fresh, searing into his skin. He gripped his arm, trying to rub out the imaginary pain, “I can’t say I’m looking forward to _anything_ we might be runnin' into out there.”

How long had it been since he had last seen Hanzo? What would he do when they saw each other?

Shoot him?

Genji chuckled then gracefully leapt over the barrier, “Shall we get started, then?”

McCree took a deep breath. Ain't no turning back now. He kicked a rusty part of the fence until it fell apart, clattering on the pavement.

Genji shook his head, “You never were one for subtlety…”

McCree stepped over the rusted metal, “Just trying to scare em out!”

"Jesse."

"Hm?"

"If we do run into Hanzo out there-"

Jesse lifted his hat so they could get a good look at each other.

Genji's green visor gazed back, not once flickering; "-Don't shoot him."

Jesse patted Peacekeeper, "Y'know I always shoot firs-"

"Not this time." Genji ordered.

 _What makes you think he ain't gonna try to kill me?_ Jesse  _wanted_ to ask, but didn't. No use to start bickering.

"Fine." He wiped some dust from his jeans, "I won't shoot first. But ain't no promises if he tries slicing me in half!"

"He won't do that." Genji appeared confident, his voice unwavering, "Trust me." The cyborg turned and started down the road.

McCree lowered his hat and muttered under his breath, "Like hell he wouldn't..."

They started down the gravel path through the woods. Despite that the sun was high in the sky, the mountain cast a shadow over the forest, giving everything a gloomy feel. And it was very quiet. Eventually they were on the outskirts of the old village. Abandoned houses appeared out of the gloom in various states of decay. Some toppled in, others with broken doorways leading into darkness. More disturbing, some defunct pre-crisis omnics lay against walls or face down in the brush; uncanny specters.

Then a graveyard; black pillared tombstones poked out of frosted overgrowth; 12... 20... 40... He looked away; the visage of death prying at bad memories.

Perched above the town on a hill, McCree could see a red shrine. No sign of activity though.

Genji stopped walking as they reached what looked like it could've been the town square. The remains of a supermarket next to them filled the air with the pungent smell of rot. Jesse covered his nose with a bandanna, and wondered if Genji could smell it too.

Genji's quiet voice broke the silence, “If this is a Talon hideout, we must be getting close now.”

“They probably already spotted us if it is.” Jesse coughed back, his voice muffled in his bandanna.

“That may be so, but we should still be careful.” Genji leapt up onto a rock outcropping, “I will sweep the area from the trees. Perhaps you can visit the shrine? The  _onsen_ owners said locals still go there.”

“Sure, kid.”

Genji nodded then disappeared into the trees.

McCree pulled out a crumpled tissue from his back pocket; a crude map the innkeepers had drawn. He followed it as it snaked through the town, warily glancing into each sunken window and every broken door. Jesse McCree proudly didn't believe in ghost stories, and yet he couldn't shake the feeling that mine fire smoke was tickling the back of his neck - or worse, maybe it was the hot breath of a hungry dragon.

Eventually he was at the foot of a stone staircase. His eyes wandered from the bottom to the top, where the pretty little shrine was waiting for him.

He was exhausted just looking at it, “Ah Christ…” He shoved the napkin into his back pocket and started hiking up the stairs.

 

_“Why are there so many damn stairs!” McCree huffed._

_Gerard laughed, “It’s a temple for the gods. You can’t just walk into it!”_

_Angela was practically jogging next to them, “If you quit smoking, Jesse, then you wouldn’t have so much trouble!”_

 

With his hands on his knees, McCree pulled the bandanna down from his face to better gulp at the air, “You were sure as hell right, Doc!”

He resisted the urge to light up.

The shrine was deathly quiet; somehow more so than the town below. His boots sounded almost deafening as they scraped against the stone path. Red paint chipped off the wooden  _torii_  gate, snow dripped from the eaves. He walked up to the offering box; a large rotting rope hung down from a set of rusty bells in front of a boarded up shrine. Above him was a painting of a wild horse, throwing its head back, eyes wild, legs kicking, as men around it attempted to reign it.

He reached into his pocket and felt around for a coin to toss in the offering box, remembering from before that it was the respectful thing to do. He felt a pack of cigarillos, his Overwatch comm, an old candy bar…

“Oh c’mon now, I know I got something in-”

An arrow whistled past his face and someone grunted behind him. Jesse whipped around, Peacekeeper drawn, as a masked Talon agent fell to the ground under the red  _torii_ gate, arrow lodged in his throat.

Eyes wide, Jesse turned, looking to every corner to find the arrow's owner, “Alright, partner, why don’t you come out real nice and easy and we can talk?”

Someone landed on the stones behind him. He turned to find a man in a wolf pelt kneeling before him, a bow in hand, arrow nocked. Not exactly what he was expecting to find out here.

“Be careful with that gun.” The wolf man hissed, “It will draw attention to us.”

Jesse pointed Peacekeeper at the stranger, “What, so you can kill me quietly?”

The stranger gave him a funny look. McCree felt something tug at the back of his mind, something familiar.

No time to think; someone else came charging through the snow. The archer took him out with one quick shot from his bow. The cowboy and archer went back to back, both of them scanning the area.

The archer nocked another arrow, “You just walked in here? Are you a fool!?”

“I’m just looking for  _sansai._ ”

The wolf man snorted, “As if someone as big as you enjoys his vegetables.”

“Well, pardon me!”

“I think those were the only two up here, but maybe they have alerted others.” The archer turned to him, and McCree noticed he was a remarkably handsome fellow under the fur, couldn't have been much older than him, “We should leave before more come.”

Didn't matter how pretty he was, McCree wasn't so easily seduced: “And why in the hell should I go with you, stranger?”

The archer gave him another puzzled look, “You do not recognize me?”

Finally he saw it; the same harsh brows, the stiff mouth, the dark eyes. Knocked the wind right out of him, “Hanzo.”

There was no gun shot. No, instead he stood their dumbfounded as Hanzo plucked the comm from his pocket, “I will tell Genji to meet us. Now, quickly.” He darted off into the woods, with McCree stumbling along behind him.

\-----

McCree stared at Hanzo as he removed the pelt and hung it up on the wall next to other animal skins. A warm fire crackled from a hearth, filling the small cabin with warmth. 

He just couldn’t believe it. Hanzo. The Lord, no, _King_ of the Shimada, running around in the snow in a wolf pelt like some kind of wild man. And how different he looked. McCree remembered the younger Hanzo; skin so fair and unblemished, so cared for and doted upon not even the sun could touch his face. Complimented by silky smooth hair, a sweep of ebony across his shoulders like a King's robes. The most beautiful man Jesse McCree had ever and would ever see, beauty only made more sublime by his intimidating presence - a katana at his hilt and a daring eye, ready to strike you down the moment you stepped out of line.

Now _this_ man was so different; ruggedness had darkened his skin, messed his hair. The new addition of facial hair suggested less care... Less attention. He also looked a little more tired. Most notably, however, a bow had replaced the katana. But the Hanzo he knew was certainly there. Still just as haughty. Still just as bitter.

“Why are you staring at me?”

“Sorry.” Jesse played with the cigarillo in his mouth while sitting at a small wooden table tucked in the corner of the cabin, “You just look so… different.”

“And you look the same.” Hanzo gave him a quick look up and down, “Only older. And fatter.”

McCree nearly crushed the cigarillo in his teeth.

Sitting on the other side of McCree on a tree trunk converted into a stool, Genji cut in, “It is rude to argue in front of our host.”

Just then the speckled-faced old man shakily placed a tray holding an iron kettle and ceramic cups onto the table, “ _Shimada-san, darehitowa?”_

Hanzo nodded at Genji, _“Kochira wa otouto-”_ Then gave McCree a dirty look, “ _-to kareno bakana tomodachi desu.”_

The crone stole a glance at the cowboy and chuckled.

Jesse looked to Genji, “What’s he saying?”

The cyborg shrugged, “I don’t know. They are speaking with the Akita dialect.” He lied. They weren’t speaking any dialect.

Jesse tried to ignore the possible slight, and tipped his hat to the host, “Thank you for your hospitality.”

Genji translated. The old man smiled, his grin missing teeth, “ _O-mo-te-na-shi_.” He chuckled before returning to a stove on the other side of the room, tending to a steaming pot of something good smelling.

Jesse leaned in, trying to keep a bit of a barrier between Hanzo and Genji, “Exactly who is this man?” He addressed Hanzo, “Why are we here?”

“He is a friend.” Hanzo sat down next to him on a rickety chair, “He is not fond of people, and he has no family. We are safe here.” He passed out the ceramic cups and lifted the kettle to serve tea.

McCree wasn't comforted though. The cowboy looked nervously at the animal skins and weapons decorating the walls of the cabin, “Doesn’t look too fond of god’s critters either…”

“He’s a hunter.” Hanzo paused in the middle of serving, “A _matagi._ They have more respect for ‘god’s critters’ than a _cowboy_ , surely.”

Jesse McCree rolled the cigar in his mouth and kept his arms folded, lest he reach for his gun and lodge a bullet into Hanzo's skull.

“Would you two _please_ stop arguing.” Genji snapped at them, “We have much to discuss.”

“Right.” Jesse gripped the tiny tea cup, “First, it _was you_ who contacted Overwatch? How were you able to?”

Hanzo gently put the kettle down, then tossed a comm onto the table, one that neither Overwatch hero recognized, “I took this from one of the Talon agents.”

Jesse remembered how easily Hanzo had pulled the comm from his own pocket, “A Talon comm?”

Hanzo nodded his head toward the old man, “My friend hacked it. He found your Overwatch network so I could deliver my message. Untraceable by either Talon or you, I assume.”

The two heroes glanced over at the old hunter who was preparing a meal for his guests, scratching his rear, muttering to himself.

Jesse brought the cigar back to his lips, “Wasn’t always a hunter then, huh?” He reminded himself to let Athena know that her network was hacked.

“Anyway.” Hanzo clicked some things on the comm screen before a holographic image floated above the table. Jesse recognized it from the brochure, it was a map of the mine. “This is a layout of the mining operation. It’s small. There are not many people and there is little security. Perhaps Talon is underestimating their chances of being found. It will be easy to end this operation. If you look at this map-”

“Hold up, partner.” McCree put up his hand, “You’re suggesting we take down the Talon operation here?”

Hanzo looked between the two of them, “Was I not clear?”

“We came here for reconnaissance only. Winston told us specifically ‘no guns blazing’.”

Hanzo’s eyes narrowed, “Reconnaissance only? Who is ‘Winston’, your boss?”

McCree and Genji looked to each other; was he their boss? He was kind of taking charge, but they hadn’t really established hierarchy.

“Are you not _‘heroes’_?” Hanzo pressed, “Is this not what _Overwatch_ does?” His words dripping with disgust. McCree guessed he still wasn't a fan...

Genji spoke first, “Tell us your plan. Then we can decide.”

Hanzo looked between the two of them before continuing, “Here.” He pointed at a large red patch floating within the mine shafts. Jesse suddenly noticed red scattered throughout the entire map, “The mine is full of sulfur gases and dust. Disturbed from the mining operation…” He paused looking to McCree, struggling to find the right words, “It is… flammable. A well placed explosive could create a large fire.”

“Blowin’ up the mine?”

“Yes.”

McCree gave a long exhale of smoke, staring at the map of the mine. He remembered his run in with former Blackwatch agents on the train and a fire burned deep in his gut. He joined Recall  _exactly_ for this kind of thing; end the disturbing legacy of Blackwatch and wash his hands clean. And now here was Hanzo, of all people, presenting that very opportunity to him. 

“Sure is risky.” But his tone was not one of reluctance. Not at all.

Hanzo continued, “At night, the mine is empty. There is only one entrance. Two guards monitor it, and there is another in a watchtower here.” The map zoomed out of the mine. It was clear now that there was, indeed, a small complex of buildings.

“Only three agents in the tower.” Hanzo said, “But perhaps they will increase security because of _someone_ earlier.” He shot McCree a dirty look.

“Hey! I wasn’t the one who-”

Hanzo cut him off, addressing Genji, “You and him take out the guards, you go in the mine with the explosive. Meanwhile-” He pointed to a choke point between the entrance and the rest of the complex, a small bridge over a river. He looked back to Jesse, “The _yankii_ and I can protect you until you return.”

“ _Yankee_!? I ain’t no lily livered-“

“Jesse.” Genji scolded.

The old man returned with a large pot of soup which he placed in the center of the table. He handed out bowls to Hanzo and McCree, but Genji lifted his hand, politely declining. Jesse shot a glance at Hanzo, wondering if he knew.

Because of _him_ , Genji couldn’t even enjoy food anymore.

Hanzo watched Genji with a peculiar expression, then the old man slapped the shoulders of both of the men who could eat, “ _Tabemashou!_ ”

Hanzo looked away from Genji, giving the host a curt bow, “ _Itadakimasu”._ He used chopsticks to pluck _sansai_ from the soup. McCree fumbled with his chopsticks, trying to do the same.

“Ita-daki-” The thin chopsticks slipped out of his fingers, clattering on the table, “Thank you.” He gave the host a nervous nod and smile.

The hunter gave a gravelly laugh and took the chopsticks from him, dishing out a large portion into his bowl, “Big _nabe_ for big man.” He gave McCree three hearty pats on the back.

McCree frowned when the host turned away, and attempted to use the chopsticks again, muttering about how ‘he ain’t big’.

He noticed Hanzo watching him with muted pleasure, “You still have not learned to use chopsticks…”

“Well, you may recall that I was once left handed.” The cowboy gave him a dark look.

Hanzo looked away. Finally the wolf stopped barking.

 

\------

 

After a rather quiet meal (at least between Hanzo and McCree, Genji and the _matagi_ had a lively conversation), McCree went outside to make a video call.

“Didn’t I say ‘no guns blazing’?” Winston grumbled on the other end of the line.

The cowboy grinned, “Guess we’re too eager for some rough ’n tumble.”

“Well, have you assessed the situation? Do you think you could pull it off?”

“Seems like Hanzo’s done plenty of assessin’. The guy’s a former yakuza honcho, much as I hate him, I’m inclined to trust his judgement.”

“It’s not his judgment I’m worried about.” Winston scratched his chin, “It’s his intentions. You and Genji know more about him than anyone of us. I’ve never even met him. For all I know, he may be working with Talon and is using his connection with Genji to target Overwatch.”

“I don’t trust him either.” Jesse tapped his foot, trying to listen in for a moment on what was happening inside the cabin. He could hear Genji and the old man chatting away. Genji was unusually comfortable given the situation, and McCree knew the cyborg had incredible senses for danger, half of them programmed into him. How could he sit across from his very own murderer with such ease?

Unless Hanzo simply wasn't as threatening as McCree wanted to think he was. McCree didn't have to trust Hanzo, but had he grown so apart from Genji that he couldn't trust him either?  "I'll talk to Genji about it..."

Winston took a deep breath, “Well, I’m not the boss of you. I’ll leave it up to you to decide what actions to take there. If you think you can do it, and you think he can be trusted, then go for it. We shouldn’t hesitate to strike Talon if we have the opportunity. And it sounds like time is of the essence.”

McCree smiled warmly. _Not the boss._ Hesitant to take on the title, no doubt. But it was Winston who brought them together, and Winston who was rising up as the natural leader.

“Sure thing, chief.” Jesse tipped his hat to him.

Winston was visibly flustered, “Like I said McCree, I am not your-”

Jesse cut the line before he could finish. Genji appeared outside the cabin, “Did you contact Winston?”

“He’s leaving the decision to act up to us.”

"Excellent. I am ready." Genji said simply before walking past McCree off the front porch of the cabin, "Let us collect our things from the _onsen_ and prepare for battle."

McCree chewed at his cheek, nervously looking between the cabin and Genji before reluctantly stepping forward to follow, "You really think we can trust him?” He asked quietly. Even outside and walking away, he was nervous of Hanzo overhearing.

“Who?” Genji replied loudly.

“Hanzo.”

Genji hummed, “That depends.”

“Depends on what?”

“What is it that you do not trust?”

McCree put his thumbs in his pockets, “Well, y’know, he could be leading us head first into a trap.”

“I suppose it is possible.”

“Then why do it?”

Genji looked to McCree, “Because anything is possible, but I believe my brother is trustworthy.”

“Yeah, well your _brother,_ murdered you with his _own sword._ What bonds of trust does he have that he ain’t willin’ to break?”

This caused the cyborg to go silent. Jesse regretted being so blunt, but he felt he had a fair point.

“I don’t know if Hanzo is less cruel than he was before.” Genji admitted, “But he has never been a liar. He told me what he was going to do before he did it.”

Jesse felt his stomach churn. He remembered too. The cold finality of the young Lord’s words, the sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath. He instinctively clutched at his arm where metal met flesh.

“I feel confident that Hanzo is not leading us into a trap. But if you do not want to participate, then you do not have to. Tonight, I will go.”

McCree scratched the back of his head, debating stunning the kid with a flashbang and dragging him back to Gibraltar. But then there was the other part of this: Talon. What was happening at the mine here? What were they doing all the way out here in the middle of the woods? And most importantly, how could he just walk away from it knowing what he knew now.

And being part of Overwatch, part of a team.  _"You must stop running in there alone!"_  Ana had scolded him after Jesse nearly blew one of his early missions, _"_ _I know it's difficult for a kid like you, but you_ _have to trust your teammates, Jesse. You can't do it alone."_  

He reluctantly conceded, “Dammit, Genji. Putting me in a place like that. You know I can’t say no.”

Even with no visible face, he was sure the cyborg was smiling, “I know.”

\-----

When they returned to the inn, the owners informed them a couple of visitors came inquiring about them. The owners didn’t consider anything suspect, but Genji and Jesse knew this meant they couldn’t stay long. Certain the inn was being watched, they gathered their things and snuck out through the baths, the cowboy doing his best not to make a fuss.

Back at the cabin, the old man tinkered with the comm in the corner, finding ways to infiltrate the mine’s network. Jesse watched him with a cautious eye, “Ain’t he involved enough already?” The three were at that very moment filling his cabin with their own weaponry, and the old man didn’t seem bothered.

Hanzo didn’t look up from the arrow in his hand, inspecting it carefully, “He likes it. It’s been a long time since he’s worked with tech. It is possible he can shut down their defenses and their channels of communication…”

“And you’re sure he’s not part of Talon or any other threatenin’ folks?”

Hanzo snorted, “Don’t be foolish. No.”

 _Well, how the hell would I know?_ McCree thought bitterly. He paused from cleaning Peacekeeper to stretch a crick in his neck, “Maybe we could recruit him for Overwatch. Havin’ a hacker wouldn’t hurt.”

Hanzo shook his head, “He may not mind helping us now, but he’s put much of this life behind him.” Hanzo’s tone sounded almost wistful, as if he too wanted to hide out in an isolated cabin for the rest of years. Only made Jesse more bitter; if Hanzo remained alive, he didn’t want him hiding from his past. He wanted him to confront if fully and take responsibility.

_Would joining with Overwatch be taking responsibility?_

Genji returned from a call with Winston outside, “Tracer is on her way. She will retrieve us after we have finished the job. No doubt an explosion will alert the authorities...”

McCree tapped his foot anxiously; would Hanzo go with them on Tracer’s aircraft? The archer gave no indication either way. McCree swore he met omnics more expressive than him.

Hanzo stood, “It is about time we go. Are you ready, _cowboy_?”

“Right behind you, _werewolf_.”

\------ 

The three followed mountain paths through the forest back to the abandoned village; the Talon comm revealed new patrols along the main roads so they had to stay out of sight. Genji and Hanzo moved through the trees with ease, while McCree stumbled along behind them, tripping over rocks and falling into small pits.

“Crimenently!” He cursed, wrenching his boot out of the mud.

Hanzo stood on a fallen tree above him, the silhouette of a wolf. He couldn’t see his face, but Jesse was sure the bastard was smirking. Then Genji’s hand came out of the darkness to help him up.

“You were never very graceful, Jesse.”

“You two are like ballerinas, the way you dance around.”

Genji chuckled, “Someday I’ll teach you how to pirouette.”

“It’s time we split up.” Hanzo cut in harshly, “Are you ready, Genji?”

Genji could disappear and reappear like a ghost. Before Jesse could blink, he was standing on the log next to Hanzo. He tossed the bomb up and down in his hand like it were a baseball, “I’m ready,” a flare of childlike excitement in his tone.

“ _Kiotsukete.”_

The ninja disappeared into the night. It was just the two of them now. Alone again for the first time in nearly a decade.

“Come.” Hanzo began moving forward, “We still have some way to go before we reach the-”

“Now hold up.”

The archer stopped only a couple of paces ahead and looked back.

“I just gotta ask you, what are your intentions?”

“My intentions?”

“With Genji… With us.”

Hanzo frowned, “None which concern you.”

“They are if you’re joinin’ Overwatch.”

“I am not.” The archer turned and continued walking.

McCree huffed, jogging to keep up, “Then why are you dragging us into this?”

“I told you, I can’t do it alone.”

“But you asked _us_. Surely you have other folks you could’ve asked...”

“I have my reasons.”

Jesse rolled his eyes; Hanzo was going to try to send this conversation in circles, but Jesse didn't like being yanked around, “Are you leading us into a trap up there?"

"If I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead."

Cocky son of a- "Alright. Take us hostage, then."

Hanzo scoffed, "Ha! Just as stupid as before, I see."

Jesse tried to shrug off the insult, pressing on: "Then it's your brother, isn't it? There some part of you feelin' guilty?”

“My brother?” Hanzo spun around glaring at him, “That _thing_ is _not_ my brother.”

Jesse’s mouth fell agape, but quickly twisted into a scowl, “Excuse me? Now you just wait one minute-”

Hanzo turned and began walking again.

“Dammit, Hanzo!” McCree grabbed him by the arm, “What are your intentions with him then!? Are you gonna try to kill him in that mine?”

Hanzo looked down at Jesse's hand, McCree gulped, waiting for Hanzo to break his neck, but surprisingly the assassin didn't. Instead his eyes narrowed, “My brother is already dead.”

Jesse could hardly believe what he was hearing, “No! No he ain’t!” Jesse nearly shook with anger, “I would know! I was right there beside him when Angela brought him back from the dead! I watched them pump his body full of tubes! I watched them mix metal with flesh! Take what little there was left of him and keep that heart beatin’ in its chest! That _thing_ is your brother whether you like it or not!”

Hanzo was silent. His face showed no sign of emotion, aside from bitterness, as usual.

“And you just don’t know, Hanzo. You don’t know how damn lucky you are.” Feeling bold, he unholstered Peacekeeper and shoved the barrel into Hanzo’s chest, “Because you ran away like a dog with its tail between its legs _we_ couldn’t find you.” His mouth ticked up slightly, “Heh… You’re just damn good at hiding aren’t you?”

Hanzo frown deepened; _that_ was something.

“You’re lucky that Genji met you after he spent all that time in Nepal with his _guru_ , because when he came to after all of that hell there was only _one thing_ on his mind-” He pressed Peacekeeper in, “He wanted to _kill you._ ”

No reaction.

“And I am still just as ready to carry that out… But y’see, Hanzo, I am loyal to Genji and he seems to think you are redeemable. And that boy is like a brother to me. Not that _you_ would understand what that means…”

“Tch.” Hanzo broke eye contact, looking aside. Hanzo’s arm was stiff in his grasp, and he was a little surprised that the assassin hadn’t fought him off, just letting Jesse yell at him like that.  _"Don't shoot him."_  

Jesse took a deep breath and slowly let go. Hanzo pulled his arm back defensively.

He holstered Peacekeeper, “If you dare lay a finger on him I’ll shoot you down faster than you can say _arigato._ ”

“Your accent is appalling.”

Jesse shoved him, and Hanzo shoved him back. Jesse clenched his fist and threw a punch, which Hanzo caught and held firmly, “This is no time to fight like _children_. If you care about Genji as much as you say, then we need to keep moving.”

They had a silent stare down, before the cowboy finally backed off. Hanzo turned away and continued leading on through the woods.

They shared no more words between each other.

\------------

Soon the archer and the cowboy were on the outskirts of the abandoned city. As soon as they reached the graveyard, Hanzo disappeared. Genji and McCree would take care of the men stationed outside of the mine, Genji would go in, Hanzo would take care of the men in the watchtower. Then McCree and Hanzo would keep Talon from entering the mines, protecting Genji until they could all make a clean getaway on Tracer’s jet.

She patched in over his ear piece, “Circling round you now, loves, ready to jump in as soon as you need me!”

Genji: “I’m just outside the entrance. Looks like the information from the Talon comm was reliable; there are now four men stationed here, and I noticed more patrolling the city. So be careful.”

A pair of lights came his way. McCree ducked around a corner and pressed himself up against the wall as two agents wandered past. Thankfully, they were heading the opposite direction.

He glared at the ground for a moment, still stewing from his little spat with Hanzo. Still not wholly convinced Hanzo wasn’t trying to get ‘em both killed. But, once again, it was too late to turn back. He took a deep breath and started toward the bridge.

It didn’t take him long to reach it. Across the bridge, four guards paced around an open space near the entrance of the mines. He moved behind an old shed, out of sight, and pulled Peacekeeper from his holster, waiting for his signal.

Genji: “I’m ready.”

McCree rushed from his hiding place and bolted across the bridge.

“Hey!” One of the guards shouted when he appeared from the shadows. Three shurikens flew from the tree line, taking him out.

Jesse opened fired, taking out the other two while Genji swooped down from the trees and took out the last with his katana. The gunshots echoed around the mountaintops like thunder. Genji disappeared into the mines.

Jesse took a deep breath just as a watchtower spotlight lit up the mine entrance like daybreak.

“Christ Almighty-” He tried to cover his eyes as gunshots broke out, raining down bullets at him. He rolled out of the way, but soon the gunshots from the tower stopped. He could hear shouts as he assumed Hanzo took out each one in the tower. To punctuate this, a body toppled out from the top, rolling to the ground before landing in a sickening thump.

“Ick.” McCree reloaded from behind a tree, “A little macabre, Hanzo…”

Around ten agents rushed across the bridge from around the complex; McCree assumed some who were patrolling nearby. Each wearing the classic Talon get up.

“ _Kommu wa dameyo!”_ One of them snapped, tapping an earpiece attached his helmet over and over.

McCree guessed he was complaining about his comm not working; looks like their hacker pulled through.

“ _Kareno juu wa urusakattane?_ ” One scrawny fellow stood out as a leader, his accent wasn’t Japanese, and his voice sounded familiar…

The leader turned toward the tower, “ _Nani o suruka!?_ ”

They didn’t know that _those_ agents were already dead.

Losing his temper, the man suddenly switched back to his native tongue, “And why aren’t our defenses working!?”

Jesse now noticed some dead turrets dotted around. Were they all hacked? The edges of McCree’s lips twitched; _That old man was one hell of a hacker._ He cocked the Peacekeeper. He wasn’t the best at hiding, sure, but he was damn good at making a scene. Confuse them, let chaos ensue, then pick them out one by one.

BANG!

The men cried out as a flash bang subdued the ones closest to him. McCree took them out, easy.

_Eight._

“ _Asoko_!” One of them shouted, pointing toward him.

Jesse rolled, reloaded, and took out one from behind. _Seven._

Not dead, but hurt. The agent writhed on the ground as blood pooled around him.

“ _E! Koko!_ ”

Jesse aimed but missed this time. He tumbled to a new spot.

“Stay with the group, you idiots!” The leader snapped, “I recognize this. He’s trying to isolate us.”

“What’s happening?” A weak voiced agent griped. He was taller than the leader, but the way he cowered made him look much smaller, “Why can’t we use our comms, Pierrot?”

 _Pierrot!?_ McCree almost laughed, _the Canadian clown?_ What was he doing all the way out here? The clown punched the man hard enough to knock him to the ground, “They’re probably using that comm you lost to fuck with our systems!”

He pointed the gun at the agent and unloaded into his chest. Jesse shivered; unusually savage for Pierrot.

“Jesse McCree and his archer _bum boy_ are hiding around here.” Pierrot growled.

 _Bum-boy!?_ McCree gagged. Hanzo was _no_ such thing. He checked his watch. It had been three and a half minutes since Genji had entered the mines. He had to drag this out for another six and half more…

“There might be others… Check to make sure they haven’t gone into the mines.”

That was Jesse’s cue. He leapt from his hiding spot and unloaded at the two men heading toward the entrance to the mines. One went down, he got the other in the leg.

“Dammit!” Pierrot followed Jesse with bullets around the perimeter of the open space before the cowboy ducked behind some rocks.

Pierrot roared in fury, charging toward the rocks, but cried out as he took an arrow to the back of his leg and toppled to the ground. Jesse couldn’t help but chuckle; _nice one, Hanzo._

“Fuck!” Pierrot shouted, “Find that fucking archer!”

Jesse somersaulted to another hiding place, tossing another flashbang behind him which stunned a nearby agent. The unaffected agents erupted into chaos again, rushing around in a frenzy, shooting aimlessly. He bit his tongue to keep from laughing out loud. He was basically running circles around them. Hanzo was right, these guys were totally disorganized and absolute rookies.

But Pierrot had had enough. As soon as he spotted Jesse in the shadows, he lashed out a grappling hook that wrapped around his legs.

“Whoa!” McCree hit the ground, getting a face full of mud.

Pierrot dragged him out into the open and limped toward him as the remaining agents surrounded him.

Five minutes left.

Lying on the ground, Jesse smiled and tipped his hat, “Howdy, partner. Been a while.”

Pierrot smacked him across the face with the back of his rifle. Two agents pinned down his arms.

“What the fuck are you doing out here?” Pierrot snarled, “What business does a cowboy have in Japan!?”

McCree spat blood as an answer. An arrow whistled in and buried itself into the ground above his head. A warning shot. Pierrot angrily stomped on the arrow, cracking it in half, “Tell your _fuckboy_ to get out here!”

“He ain’t my fuckboy, god dammit!”

“ _Shine.”_ An agent whispered from behind.

“ _Iie._ ” Pierrot growled, “Reaper will want him.”

Jesse’s insides flipped. _Reaper wanted him…?_

Two shields were planted down on either side of him. The agents keeping wary eyes at the woods for Hanzo.

Pierrot knelt down next to him, “Is anyone else with you? Or is it just you and your _boyfriend_?”

Jesse tried not to let Pierrot get a rise out of him. He took a deep breath, playing along with the joke, “Husband, actually. And it’s just us. Thought this’d be a good place for our honeymoon.”

Pierrot shook his head, “Always the joker.”

“Says the ‘clown’.”

The agent holding down his left arm chuckled. Pierrot pointed the rifle at him, silencing him.

“When did you get so nasty?” Jesse asked, “I remember you bein’ a softie in Blackwatch… Always were a potty-mouth though.” He clicked his tongue and shook his head, “Still getting shafted from the good stuff? Heck, I’d hate to be stuck out here in the sticks, too, but you always did draw the short straw.”

The little man inflated with fury, “They sent me out here because I can speak Japa-” He stopped, “You’re trying to kill time.” Pierrot turned to the agent standing behind him, “Check the mines to make sure no one is in there.”

They started toward the entrance.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were-”

The agent hardly made it within 10 feet of the entrance before Hanzo took him out with an arrow in the leg. Pierrot trembled in rage, before turning on Jesse with his rifle, “Where is the archer?”

Jesse shrugged- or as much as he could when pinned, “Gonna be honest, your guess is as good as mine!”

Genji buzzed in, “I’ve set the explosive. I’m coming out now. It’ll be faster leaving. Give me two minutes.”

Faster than planned, but McCree was still pinned and staring down the barrel of an automatic, there were six agents left, and he could hear more coming.

_Got any magic tricks up your sleeve, Hanzo?_

“Tie him up.” Pierrot ordered.

Just as one agent loosened his grip, Jesse took the opportunity to land a well placed punch with his metal hand right between his legs. The man crumpled, and Jesse threw down a flashbang before the others could react.

Unfortunately the flashbang hit him too. His ears rang and his head throbbed, but he forced himself to move while he had the chance. The agents around him were stunned. He saw the Peacekeeper flashing in one of their hands. More agents rushed in and scatter arrows crackled around him, as he pushed toward his gun.

Just as Peacekeeper was in his reach, Pierrot grabbed McCree by his serape and tossed him to the ground. The two tousled like they were schoolboys fighting on the play-yard.

“You were always his favorite!” Pierrot tried to claw at his eyes, his nails were sharpened into points that scratched against his skin, “I ought to mangle you and see if he still likes you then!”

“What the hell are you shouting about!?” McCree used his metal arm to knock Pierrot away.

He heard shouts coming from the mine entrance. A wolf darted between frantic men, shots were fired in aimless directions, shields stuck down in random spots. More agents were running in, but the rookies only made the situation more chaotic; a couple of them frantically threw down smoke bombs that seemed to hinder them more than help.

One minute. Could they last?

Jesse threw himself into the smoke when he spotted the glisten of Peacekeeper. In a swift motion he took out the agent’s legs, knocked her out with his metal fist and swiped Peacekeeper from her hands. He spotted Pierrot in the crowded smoke; he seemed to double in size. He was hulking and furious. He suddenly remembered Pierrot’s specialty.

_“Historically, they are known as beserkers.”_

Jesse unloaded the remainder of his clip into Pierrot’s chest, but it did _nothing_ to slow him down. Pierrot charged and ran into him so hard the two rolled three times through the fray. Pierrot’s helmet went flying off, revealing a gaping jaw of new sharp teeth. His nails dug into McCree’s shoulders and saliva dripped onto his face.

Pierrot licked his canines, his eyes were hungry. A frightening thought struck Jesse; was Pierrot going to _eat_ him?

There were gunshots; Jesse heard the sounds of bullets hitting metal. _Genji._ He would be cornered in that damn cave.

Jesse desperately trying to beat off the beast with his free hands, but the jaws were only getting closer to his neck, “Get offa me you piece of shit!”

“You know what all those boys you fucked around with used to say?” Pierrot’s abnormally long tongue slid up his neck, “That you taste like beef jerky…”

“ _Ryu ga waga teki o kurau!_ ”

\---- 

_“Is it true?”_

_“What?”_

_“The dragons… Are they real?”_

_Hanzo smiled, “Yes. They are real.”_

_Jesse laughed, “Sorry, I find it hard to believe. Sounds like something right out of a fairytale.”_

_Hanzo was quiet for a moment, thinking, “I suppose they are...”_

_“What are they like?”_

_Hanzo smiled darkly, “The most frightening thing you’ve ever seen.”_

\---- 

Jesse heard a roar louder than his gun, louder than his flashbangs, louder than a god damn jet engine, and the entire space crackled into life. And then he saw them; two encircling blue dragons barreling toward them, taking out everything that was in their way.

They passed over Pierrot, mutilating him. The dragons passed over Jesse too, and he was convinced he was dead. But they rushed over him like water, filling him with the greatest sensation of excitement and fear that he had ever felt.

The dragons roared through the empty space, unhindered by rock or tree as they moved through the entire complex. Nearly as soon as they had appeared, they were gone, their roar fading into the distance.

And he was stunned. He lay on the ground speechless, breathless. Hanzo appeared, clutching a bleeding wound in his abdomen.

“Jesse, come on!”

_Jesse. He called me Jesse._

Hanzo grabbed his arm, “Get up! Genji’s out. We must go!”

But his legs were frozen, his mouth dry.

Hanzo looked back; his face full of worry. Gun shots whizzed past them.

 _Just leave me._ He thought, but Hanzo wrenched him from the ground. Pierrot’s corpse sliding off of him, leaving sticky blood behind. The cowboy staggered to his feet, as Hanzo practically dragged him out.

They stumbled toward their rendezvous point as McCree slowly started coming to, “You’re hurt.” He slurred.

“I’m fine.”

Wind rushed about them; Tracer was lowering an aircraft down before them in what once was the village square, a hatch opening before them, “Cheers loves! The cavalry’s here!”

Hanzo fell to the ground, blood oozing out of him. McCree stopped at the open hatch, looking between Hanzo and back to the mines, where he could see more agents coming, “Alright. You’re coming with us.”

“No!” Hanzo stubbornly growled, but he was too weak to fight as McCree dragged him to his feet and pulled him into the aircraft.

Hanzo collapsed onto the floor, unconscious. Genji was already in. Unscathed.

“Better strap in boys!” Tracer chimed from the cockpit.

“What a sec!” Jesse scrambled to get Hanzo strapped in, “We got a man down!”

“We don’t have a sec!” Tracer slowly began pulling the aircraft from the ground. Jesse could hear bullets pinging off the outside.

Genji fetched a biotic emitter from a storage container, a gold glow filled the small space. Instantly Jesse could feel the scratches on his face beginning to heal. Genji clutched the emitter in his hand and strapped in next to Hanzo, “We can use this to keep him stable.”

“We’re ready, Tracer!” Jesse called to the cockpit.

“Bout’ time!” He could see her click some buttons before pushing the throttle, “Wheee!” Tracer shouted as the engines whirred and they rocketed through the sky.

Jesse and Genji looked to Hanzo in between them. The wound wasn’t bleeding anymore, thanks to the emitter, but it was clear to both of them that a biotic emitter alone wasn’t going to heal _this_ injury. The heroes looked at each other nervously, both acknowledging a very big problem: the new Overwatch still didn’t have a medic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this far!
> 
> I'll go over some of the culture points covered in this chapter in case you are interested:
> 
> I've set the start of the story in Akita prefecture because, well, it's where I live! We are buried in snow right now and will be until maybe late March. I've based the fictional "Ginzan" off ["Innai Ginzan"](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1022323-d1423636-Reviews-Innai_Ginzan_Remains-Yuzawa_Akita_Prefecture_Tohoku.html), with artistic embellishments. (I shortened the name to simply 'ginzan' or 'silver mountain' as it's a rather generic name).
> 
> In regard to onsen: Akita is not well-known for many things but we do have some amazing onsen (hot springs). People come from all over to bathe in our, supposedly, medicinal sulfurous baths. (Can't really speak on the health benefits but my skin does feel hella nice after - but I also smell like farts). 
> 
> At the inn, I pointed out that Jesse sees wooden dolls lining the windowsill; the dolls I'm referring to are called "Kokeshi".
> 
> This chapter also has some Japanese. I am not a native speaker, but I do have an N5 proficiency (the lowest), and I am currently studying for the N4. I've asked someone with an N2 proficiency for some help, but I apologize if I have made mistakes~
> 
> There is one bit I'd like to translate for you:  
> "Shimada-san, darehitowa?" - Informally: "who is this?"  
> "Kochira wa otouto to kareno bakana tomodachi desu." - "This is my brother and his dumb friend."  
> Genji, being the little sweetie he is, tries to cover the insult by claiming they are speaking the Akita dialect. This is known in Japanese as "Akita-ben" and is notoriously difficult to understand.
> 
> Other cultural references include:
> 
> "O-mo-te-na-shi" - "Japanese hospitality". It's become a bit of a joke to emphasize each syllable like that, I believe because [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hggygKWwhg) where a woman pronounces it like that went viral.
> 
> The old man is a [matagi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcBbqz0gImg). Most simply and easily translated as a "hunter" but they aren't quite the same.
> 
> Hanzo calls McCree [ a "yankii", which is not the same as a "yankee".](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2002/07/05/language/our-yankii-are-different-from-your-yankees/#.WlYPvKiWY2w) But the difference doesn't really matter that much because he just wanted to insult McCree, which he did. ;)
> 
> The food the old man serves is [nabemono](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nabemono). 
> 
> Finally, I researched sulfur and hydrogen sulfide to try to keep this legitimate (and dug up some long-forgotten memories from high school chemistry...) but I am not a chemist so please forgive me if I misunderstood how it might work.
> 
> Cheers, everyone! Thanks again for reading. :)


	3. Blizzard World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Overwatch is forced to call an old friend to help Hanzo's injury - and of course Hanzo is not at all grateful. Hanzo is presented with a choice: follow a lead to Australia or join the team at Blizzard World.

 

Pink petals softly fell around him as he sat on the riverbank. It was night, but the park was illuminated with hanging lanterns, twinkling among the cherry blossoms. The slow beat of a drum echoed around the tree trunks, accompanying the murmuring of the park-goers all around. Some people were singing with their own parties of friends and family, all enjoying the beauty of the cherry blossoms. He could hear children begging their parents to buy _yakitori_ or _choco-banana_ from vendors dotting the river-walk above them, and there was a pop of fireworks from the distance.

The ten year old Hanzo peeked at grass tickling the edges of their picnic mat. Barefoot, he dared to reach his toes forward, having a sudden urge to feel cool Earth under his skin.

“ _Dame!_ ” His mother slapped his foot with her hand fan, “Don’t get your feet dirty!”

He pulled his foot back and held his legs to his chest, as if they were disobeying him.

Genji jumped down from a rock overhead, barefoot and covered in mud, a childish grin spread across his face. Their mother wasn’t scolding _him_ , but she did look on with disgust. He was so unruly, he wouldn’t listen to her anyway.

“You’re filthy.” Hanzo scorned.

Genji stopped running, locking eyes with his brother. Then stuck out his tongue.

Hanzo jumped to his feet. Genji yelped and bolted, nearly knocking over their grill as he scrambled across the mat. Hanzo watched him go: Genji was lucky he didn’t want to get his feet dirty… _This_ time.

“Ha ha! Look at that boy run!” Their father was pink in the face, spilling sake from a small cup in his fingers. A young woman hung from his arm, a snow-white leg teasing from underneath folds of a ruby red yukata.

His mother quickly wiped up the spilt drink. The younger woman gave her a dirty look, before turning her attention back to his father, giggling innocently, “He’s so fast. He will be a strong man.”

Sojiro laughed, “ _Soudesune!”_

Suddenly there was a shriek from the crowds above them. They all turned to see the very same boy lying on the ground wailing.

His tight-lipped mother shook her head, whipped open her fan, and turned away. Hiding her face from curious onlookers.

Sojiro scoffed; pride changed to disappointment, “ _Demo... Baka jainai no._ Hanzo!”

Hanzo stiffened.

“Go take care of your brother!”

“ _Hai._ ” He carefully slipped into his _geta_ and climbed up the riverbank.

Genji quieted some when he noticed Hanzo standing over him. This was enough to lose the interest of unwelcome spectators. The crowds returned to whatever merrymaking they were occupied with before the sudden outburst.

Genji’s knee had been scraped open and was bleeding down his leg, “ _Itai…_ ” he whimpered, tears bubbling up from his eyes and spilling over his round cheeks.

Hanzo took a deep breath and knelt next to his brother, “That’s what you get for running around so carelessly.” He pulled out a green ribbon tied in his hair and wrapped it around the wound, “You should be more careful.”

Genji hiccuped, threatening to break into more sobs.

Hanzo softened his expression, and delicately wiped the tears from his brother’s eyes, “Dragons don’t cry, Genji.”

The younger one nodded. Hanzo helped Genji climb onto his back. The little boy made himself comfortable, nuzzling his head against Hanzo’s neck, and wrapping his small arms around his shoulders. Hanzo smiled tenderly, “You must be tired.”

The little boy nodded. Hanzo looked back momentarily at the ‘family’ picnic by the riverside. His father and his prostitute, his aunts and uncles, cousins and friends… All too drunk to pay attention to the young Lords. Except for their mother, who sat with her back to them, like a statue staring into the dark river.

He decided he didn’t want to be with them anymore. He turned away and began wandering back through the crowds of happy families. Just him and his brother.

“ _Niisan,_ ” Genji whispered, “ _Gomenne._ ”

“It’s okay, Genji-kun.”

\-------

 

 _“I’m taking care of you.”_ A familiar voice floated into Hanzo’s head. He couldn’t tell if it was from a memory or from the present. The darkness gave way to light as he slowly awoke.

A bright yellow light. Blonde hair. Fair skin. Blue eyes. “Where does it hurt?”

“Everywhere.” He grunted.

She looked away from him to someone on his other side, “He’s coming to...”

Silver metal. A green glow. The cyborg who called himself Genji, “Greetings, brother.”

Hanzo finally became fully conscious. He was lying in what looked to be a small infirmary; rust was crawling up the walls and the stench of must and mildew filled his nose. Clearly, it hadn’t been in much use lately… The tiny room was awash with a yellow glow from a biotic emitter on a table next to his bed.

The woman he recognized. He wasn’t sure if he felt ill from seeing her or from whatever drugs she had had him under. Dr. Angela Ziegler; the witch who stole his brother’s heart, the catalyst for the fall of _their_ empire, and as he had recently learned, thanks to new information from the cowboy, the one who had turned his brother in _that thing._

His blood boiled, and this reflected in the heart monitor next to him which picked up the tempo, “Where am I?” He hissed through gritted teeth.

“Watchpoint Gibraltar.” Genji answered. The cyborg was leaning against a windowsill to his right, visor and helmet off; black hair, dark eyes with flashes of green. Hints of the man he once was.

Hanzo had to look away, “How long has it been?”

“Almost two days. I called Dr. Ziegler to take care of the bullet wound.”

His heart rate picked up again. The doctor had been prying her fingers around his body? He sat upright, despite the pain his in gut begging him not to.

The doctor stepped forward, “It is better if you-“ Hanzo shot her a warning look and she backed off. He switched to Japanese: _“Where is my bow?”_

“It’s in the armory.” Genji answered in English.

Hanzo balled the bed sheets in his fists; Genji was _always_ so contrary, just as contrary as Hanzo was stubborn. He carried on in Japanese, _“When we are finished speaking, I want my bow immediately.”_

“You will have it, then.”

_“What happened at the mines?”_

Genji nodded toward a net screen across from Hanzo’s bed. There he could see footage of Ginzan burning and a reporter describing how they were still fighting the fire.

“They assume that Talon caused the explosion.” Genji explained, “It seems no one suspects us.”

 _“_ Us?” Hanzo repeated.

The two locked eyes,  “Overwatch.” The cyborg corrected.

At the mention of Overwatch the doctor took a deep breath. She looked to the ground and tapped her foot.

Hanzo took note of her apparent coldness, “I never agreed allowing _her_ take care of me.”

She frowned.

“You didn’t have a choice.” Genji tried.

“You couldn’t find anyone else?”

Both he and the doctor looked to Genji accusingly. His eyes darted between the two of them and he ran his hand through his hair – an old habit, “No.”

Hanzo clucked, “Sounds like your _Overwatch_ is unprepared.”

“And illegal.” The doctor added.

Both brothers looked to her.

She cleared her throat, “I’ll leave you two alone.” She said stiffly before leaving the room. The pneumatic door closed with a bitter hiss.

Hanzo slowly looked back to his brother, switching back to his native tongue, “She’s less friendly than I remember.”

Genji shifted on the windowsill, “She doesn’t want to be here.”

“Then why did you call her?”

“You had been shot. We needed a doctor to remove the bullet.”

“Or perhaps it was an _excuse_ to see her again? Did she _program_ you to feel that way about her?”

Genji’s eyes darkened, and his metallic voice growled, “No. Hanzo.”

Unusually cold for him too. Hanzo turned away, then picked up a faint lingering scent of smoke. _He_ was here.

“Where is the cowboy?”

“I don’t know. I think he’s shopping?”

Hanzo moved to get out of bed, but was immediately met with pain. He unwillingly surrendered, lowering himself back into the bed, “Get my bow.”

Genji’s cybernetics exhaled, almost as if he were sighing, before he moved across the room toward the door. Hanzo kept a wary eye on him until he had exited. Then he was alone; his only company the blurry reflection of himself in the cold steel ceiling.

Why did he call them? He could’ve just left the Talon operation, carried onto Sapporo, let _them_ find out about it later. So why, then? _Why did he call them?_

The netscreen across from his bed buzzed with breaking news. Hanzo had forgotten it was on. He grumbled, sitting up again, noticing already a little less pain. On the table next to the biotic emitter was a handheld comm. He grabbed it, hoping it would control the netscreen. With the press of a button, a pyramid looking image displayed before a gentle female voice spoke, “Welcome to Gibraltar.”

Hanzo squinted at it, wondering what was speaking to him, “Whoever you are, could please turn off the-“

He stopped when he heard the mention of Jamison Fawkes and Mako Rutledge _._ He looked back up to the news report. A nervous reporter spoke of how the dynamic duo were suspected to have caused an explosion in Sydney. He fingers dug into the comm.

The phantom voice spoke again, “Would you like me to turn off the netscreen?”

“No.” He glared at the junk rats on screen, and remembered what he was doing before Akita, before Hanamura, before all of these ghosts from the past came crashing back into his life.

Enough fooling around. He was going to get out of here.

 

\---------

 

It took longer than it should have for Genji to return his bow, but was Hanzo really surprised? Sure Genji was fast, earning him his nickname ( _Suzume_ – Sparrow). But when it came to chores their mother had a better name for him: _Kamefiito_ – Tortoise feet.

The sluggish robot almost seemed sad as he put the bow, quiver, Hanzo’s rucksack, and a small metal case on the table. He opened the case and took out a new biotic emitter, “The doctor says you should use these twice a day to help the injury heal.” Genji clicked it on, filling the room again with a golden glow.

Hanzo said nothing. He had exercised many arguments with his brother in his head, but seeing Genji like that made him hold his tongue. Wordlessly, Genji sauntered back toward the door.

“Is she gone then?” Hanzo was able to manage.

Genji nodded.

“Sorry…”

Genji looked back to him, a little hopefully, but Hanzo quickly looked away.

Another odd robotic sigh, “If you feel up to it, we’ll be having a meeting with all agents present in ten minutes.” Genji pointed to the case, “That is a welcome package. It was Athena’s idea. It has everything you need to join Overwatch.”

Hanzo had no idea who ‘Athena’ was, and he didn’t care to know, “I am _not_ joining.”

“Okay, but I’ll leave it here if you change your mind.” Genji slid open the door and left.

Hanzo jumped out of bed. He was going to _leave_ before he changed his mind again. From his rucksack he found his spare change of clothes. He grabbed Storm Bow, his quiver, and threw the suitcase and comm into his bag and put on his boots.

He slid open the door, and peeked around the infirmary for any sign of activity. None. It was a small infirmary, and it didn't take him long to find a door leading to the outside.

It opened up to the cliffside; he was met with a beautiful sunny day and the glittering waves of the sea before him. The sun suggested it was close to noon. It was warm, almost too warm for his hoodie. He quickly surveyed the area, noticing that he could skirt around the edge of the facility with relative secrecy, reminding himself to be wary of any possible defenses.

He followed along the cliffside; the facilities were in quite a sorry state of decay. Not unlike the abandoned city he had just left. He rounded a corner, finding a road that tunneled deep into the rock, cool air billowing out from the depths while the sun warmed his back. He gazed into the darkness, wondering if this was this the only way out? He scratched his chin, looking for alternative routes. He was considering scaling the rockface when he saw it-

Hanzo leapt behind a covered car, heart racing. It was a _bastion!_ A bastion was sitting on a catwalk overhead. Had it seen him? Was that part of their defenses? No way. There was _no way_ they could get a Bastion to cooperate with them. He readied his bow and slowly began creeping backward-

“Uh… Hanzo?”

He turned to find the cowboy standing on a staircase behind him, only three steps up, paper bags full of groceries in both arms, a cigar in his mouth. Hanzo wasn't sure how he didn't hear the man coming. More importantly he was _completely exposed_ to the Bastion.

The cowboy gave him a perplexed look, “Shouldn’t you be in the-“ Hanzo grabbed him and pulled him down before he could finish, “Quiet!”

The groceries spilled across the ground, McCree clutched at his hat and scrambled close to Hanzo in their little hiding place, “What is it!?” He unholstered his gun.

Hanzo carefully peeked around the car, “A bastion. I don’t know how it got here. But we must be very careful or else it will-“

“Bastion?” McCree laughed, “Jeez, Hanzo,” He holstered his gun, “You really had me going there!”

The giant idiot rose to his feet.

Hanzo gasped, “What are you doing!?”

McCree left the hiding place and began walking _toward it_.

“Jesse!” He aimed, ready to strike as soon as the Bastion turned it’s head. An omnic floated up to McCree, “Greetings, McCree. Have you returned with what I requested?”

“Hey, Zen.” McCree waved to the Bastion overhead, which… waved back? Hanzo lowered his bow and watched the scene before him, baffled.

“Sorry, but I might’ve dropped your eggs.” McCree jutted a thumb toward Hanzo, “’Cuz of this scaredy-cat over here.”

The omnic and Bastion both took notice of him. Hanzo took a step back, but incredibly the bastion just waved to him too.

The more humanoid omnic opened its arms in a welcoming gesture, “A pleasure to finally meet you, Hanzo-san. We were all very concerned about you.”

Hanzo just stood there, mouth agape, for maybe less than ten seconds before turning on his heel.

“Whoa! Wait!” Jesse called after him.

Hanzo continued stomping down the road as the cowboy scrambled up alongside of him, “Where you going?”

“I’m leaving.”

He was grabbed by his hoodie and pulled backward. Hanzo threw back his elbow into Jesse’s face, then turned and kicked his leg out from under him. McCree smacked face first into the ground.

Hanzo straightened his hoodie, cringing for a moment from the aggravated wound, then turned away.

“Hanzo…” Jesse groaned, slowly pulling himself up, “You can’t leave Genji…”

_I can do what I want._

At that moment, their comms buzzed. Hanzo stopped. In his rush he had mistakenly tossed the Overwatch comm in with his things. He angrily tore off his bag and threw his hand into it, feeling around for the comm.

Meanwhile Jesse was getting back to his feet and still muttering nonsense, “Yer just gonna run away again? Like a _damn coward_?”

Hanzo desperately ignored him until he found the comm. He was about to hurl it at the dumb American when a name caught his eye-

_Junkrat._

He paused, reading the message on the screen, “Meeting in five minutes: new information regarding Junkrat and Roadhog.”

_They had information?_

“You owe him you-… You fucking murderer.” Jesse spluttered through a bloodied nose.

Hanzo swallowed hard, debating how much he was willing to work with _these people_ to get what he wanted. An orb floated up next Jesse and softly chimed. He unholstered his gun, “I’ll _make you_ stay.”

What an idiot. As if Hanzo couldn’t just disarm him?

The omnic floated up, “McCree, please reconsider the use of coercion.”

Jesse spat blood on the ground and cocked his gun, “I ain’t against using dirty tactics to get what I want.”

Hanzo almost smiled; neither was he. He slipped the comm into his pocket, “Fine.”

McCree looked surprised, “Fine?”

Hanzo began walking back toward the lab, “I’ll stay.” He said gruffly, knocking shoulders with McCree as they passed.

 

\-------

 

Hanzo refused to sit at the table with the others, opting to lean against the wall and listen. The lab was carved directly into the rock face and seemed better kept than the other facilities he had seen (save for an odd empty peanut butter jar tossed carelessly here and there). Staircases and side rooms suggested to Hanzo that this facility burrowed deep into the massive rock. How big was this place? Were these agents the only ones here? It made him... uncomfortable. But he wasn't about to show them that.

McCree had his legs kicked up onto the table, watching him with a wary eye and nursing a cigar. Thanks to the omnic’s strange orb, his nose was healed, but not without leaving a bruise. A dwarfish man sat to the cowboy’s left, and an equally large one to his right, all three of them looking at him like he were a wolf in the room. With their backs to him were Genji, the peculiar omnic, and the peppy British girl who picked them up from the mines (Tracer?). A gorilla stood at the front, behind him a series of screens displaying the same logo he had seen earlier on his comm.

A truly bizarre group.

The gorilla adjusted his glasses, and cleared his throat, “Perhaps we should start with a welcome? I’m Winston.” He looked to Hanzo with a nervous smile.

So this was their de facto leader? A genuine _ape._ Hanzo responded to him with the most menacing look he could muster. The oddly intelligent beast got the message, “Or perhaps we can just jump right in-“

“Nah!” McCree exhaled a cloud of smoke, “Let the man introduce himself. We’re all _friends_ here.”

“Are we?” The small bearded man grumbled, “Doesn’t seem the most trustworthy type! He was just trying to _leave._ ” Hanzo realized he recognized the man's tattoo - a Swedish engineering guild. The Shimada-gumi may or may not have traded stolen tech from them in the past...

The big man leaned in, “Reinhardt.” He introduced himself, then gestured to the smaller one, “The little guy is Torbjorn. We know who you are.” He glanced to Genji, “I trust my young friend. So I will trust you. We have all made mistakes in our past,” Hanzo noticed a particular scar over the man’s left eye. The man’s good eye fell on the bastion playing with a little bird in the corner of the room before giving a sigh as big as his body, “Forgive and forget, like snow from yesteryear.”

Torbjorn grumbled, but conceded.

Tracer piped up, “It’s rare for all of us to be here at the same time!” She beamed, looking around the room, “And new recruits too!” She looked back at Hanzo, “Feel like we should ‘ave a toast.”

The omnic put a hand to his chest, “Perhaps, I can get some champagne?”

Winston chuckled, “That all sounds nice, but we have things to discuss first. Athena?”

A voice from the computer took over; Hanzo recognized it as the same voice that spoke to him earlier. Was their network _sentient_?

“Regarding the Talon mining operation. With the help of Dr. Ziegler, there were no casualties on our side. Dr. Ziegler has returned to her work in Zurich. She will keep our activities secret, but she will not join the recall.”

Hanzo stole a glance at Genji, but he was fully covered again, making him especially difficult to read.

“The mine explosion has alerted the United Nations who are currently recovering information from the complex. Talon was using the mine to collect silver, a vital material in making omnics. That is all we know.”

“That is-“ Winston cut in, “Unless you three were able to find any more information?”

Jesse shrugged. Genji gave no response. Winston cautiously looked to Hanzo…

“Say…” Jesse drawled, holding the smoking cigar in his fingers, “Didn’t you have access to that Talon comm, Hanzo?” They all looked to him, “Yer hacker friend get any info offa it?”

His mind went back to the cabin, a day or two before they had showed up. Hanzo was rubbing his aching head over a cup of steaming tea, while the old man perused the comm he had nabbed off a snoozing guard.

           

 _“Hmmmm Blizzard World?”_ The old man had muttered.

_“What?”_

_“Some new theme park?”_

_“I don’t know. Maybe.”_

_“Seems like Talon is interested in it… and some boy called Lucio?”_

           

Hanzo and McCree had a stare down; he reminded himself why he was here. For Junkrat. None of this other ridiculous _hero_ business.

“No. There was nothing.”

McCree took a long hot drag from his cigar. Hanzo could guess McCree was trying to call him out, but two could play this game, “Although…” Hanzo started slowly, “At the mine McCree was captured. The Talon agents wanted to deliver him to someone called Reaper?”

A noticeable chill fell over the table, and everyone went quiet. Torbjorn was the first to break the silence, “Didn’t mention _that_ to us!”

“Didn’t think it was important.” McCree lowered his hat a little, “Reaper want’s all of us, don’t he? Doesn’t seem necessary to report.”

“Did you recognize anyone there?” Winston asked.

McCree glanced at Hanzo. Hanzo smirked; a friendly reminder that McCree couldn’t lie. McCree put out his cigar then stretched his neck, “Yeah. Another Blackwatch guy.”

“He’s hiding information from us!” The small man slammed his fist on the table, “No good Blackwatch son of a-“

“-It’s okay,” Winston interrupted, giving a nervous smile between dwarf and cowboy, “Just… If you have any more information regarding Blackwatch’s involvement… or if there was any insight into the identity of Reaper?”

Jesse leaned forward, rubbing his nose, “Nope.” He said quickly, looking down at the ashtray, “Just another Blackwatch fella with a stick up his ass,” He scratched his hairy chin, “Nothing special.”

 _He’s lying._ Hanzo could see it in his body language. The man was _lying_. He looked around at the other heroes waiting for them to catch on, but they didn’t.

“Alright.” Winston said, turning back to the screen, “To move onto the next item…”

The computer took over again, “At 11:55 we received this message from Agent Mei Ling-Zhou in Sydney.”

A video snapped open, “ _Ni hao!”_ A rosey-cheeked girl sang, “Hope you all are having fun back in Gibraltar. Wish I could be there with you. I’m not sure if you heard, but we had a _big_ explosion here! It was crazy! Right snowball?” A little white omnic nuzzled against her face, causing her to giggle.

She was much too cheerful.

“Everyone suspects it was that awful Junkrat.” She crinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue, “Blegh! Well, a friend and I are following him. We might be able to trap him!”

Hanzo straightened his posture, listening as carefully as he could.

“But for now we are still collecting information. We will get back to you as soon as we can.”

“Mei?” A burly voice called from off screen, “Are you ready to go?” Russian?

“Oops! Ha ha! Gotta go!” She waved to the camera, “I hope to see you soon, everyone!” The video cut off.

“To summarize…” Winston turned back toward the group, “We may need to prepare for an Australian mission soon. But for now, we don’t have anything pressing.”

“ _You_ don’t have anythin.” Torbjorn gruffed, “Brigette and I are busy day and night fixin the place!” He folded his arms, “Work on finding me another engineer!”

“Hey guys! I just thought of something.” Tracer jumped in again, “Remember that new amusement park that’s opened up?”

“Blizzard World?” The omnic filled in.

Hanzo felt himself pale. The information from the Talon comm fresh in his mind.        

“Yeah! I hear Lucio is going to perform there this weekend.” She told the group.

_“Seems like Talon is interested in it… and some boy called Lucio?”_

Hanzo’s injury began to throb.

“Maybe we can check it out? 'Ave a bit of fun. Y’know.” She shrugged, “Like the old days.”

“Lucio?” Reinhardt shrugged, “I’m not really into pop music…”

“Too busy dealin with everything here…” Torbjorn grumbled.

“Oh c’mon!” Tracer pouted, “Some of you gotta be interested? Genji?” She nudged him.

“Hm.” He grunted. Still in a mood.

McCree lifted his hat, revealing a cheeky grin, “Does it have a water park?”

“Yeah-ha!” Tracer nodded enthusiastically.

“Sure wouldn’t mind some r ‘n r…”

Hanzo couldn’t take it, it was bursting out of him, “Blizzard World!” he gasped.

They all looked to him. Part of him couldn’t believe he just said it, “Blizzard World…” he swallowed, trying to slake his dry throat, “The Talon comm… It mentioned Blizzard World. And Lucio.”

McCree frowned, “So what you just _remembered?”_

Hanzo ignored him, “I believe they are planning an attack at Lucio’s concert at Blizzard World.”

Reinhardt shook his head, “Great gods.”

“Terrorists.” Torbjorn spat.

But Tracer jumped to her feet, “Alright!” She cheered, “Let’s go show Talon that we’re aren’t done yet!” She looked back to Hanzo with a big smile, “We’re just getting started!”

“Yeah!” Reinhardt cheered, followed by a similar consensus of agreement from the others.

But Hanzo stood there in disbelief. What did he just do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was much more difficult to write than I was anticipating. Ha ha! Talk about that mushy middle. I would love a fellow writer to bounce ideas off of. Feel free to comment if you are a willing candidate. :) 
> 
> I have a friend from Gibraltar who I asked to give me some info about the place. Apparently there are monkeys that live there! I wanted to include them in this chapter but couldn't work it in so easily. Hopefully I can in the future. ;)
> 
> (P.S. For those of you following this closely - yes I did post another version of this chapter earlier, but I quickly took it down because I didn't think it was engaging enough. Blah! I am so sorry!)
> 
> (P.P.S. Yes, this is definitely past my own personal deadline of two weeks DX !!! For that I am so sorry!)


	4. Truth or Dare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go sour at Blizzard World - but nothing a good old fashioned drinking game couldn't fix!

McCree was having the deepest sleep of his life, and he had _never_ slept well. Every night he would struggle with disturbed sleep, tossing and turning, and being generally nervous, so he was taking _full_ advantage of this, deliberately waking very slowly, relishing every moment wrapped in the fluffiest, silkiest blankets, and sunken into giant pillows and a plush mattress - like sleeping in clouds.

He smiled a little as consciousness slowly returned to him, the pleasure of last night still sweet on his lips. Who knew the frightening Shimada Lord tasted like honey? And his tongue… Like a viper’s. Usually Jesse would relinquish all control to the young Lord, just lying there while Hanzo did _whatever he wanted_ to him _._ And you know what? Jesse didn’t mind that, no siree, not one bit. But last night? Well, it was a _little_ different.

He smirked, wondering how many people were lucky enough to see _that_ side of Hanzo Shimada…

His hand wandered to his left, feeling around the mattress for his lover, “Mmm?” He hummed, still with his eyes closed, “Where are ya, hun?” He scooched closer to that side of the bed, but as his hands groped around he found nothing.

Reluctantly he opened his eyes, and the painted walls and scarlet beams of Hanamura came into focus. Hanzo was not in bed.

Jesse sat up and found the young Lord standing on the other side of the room. With his back to McCree, he silently gazed over Hanamura. In the distance was the elegant sloping cone of Mt. Fuji. A cool spring breeze carrying pink flower petals tugged sable strands of Hanzo’s hair back towards McCree.

Jesse quietly watched him and wondered if there was any time of day that Hanzo _didn’t_ look immaculate.

He noticed too, however, that the man was already dressed, armed with his sword. How long had Jesse been asleep? “What time is it?” He mumbled, turning to the bedside table to check his comm.

It wasn’t there.

He frowned and checked behind the table in case it had fallen. He glanced underneath, checked the bed sheets. Oh god - Gabe would just _kill_ him if he had lost it! And in the Shimada household, no less, the very people they were trying to take down. Full of all sorts of classified Blackwatch-

“Looking for something?”

Hanzo’s tone was dark. He slowly turned back to Jesse, his eyes blazing blue and fierce.

In his hand was Jesse’s Blackwatch comm.

\-----

Jesse woke with a start, nearly falling out of his bed as his heart pounded. Hanzo’s vehement blue eyes were seared into his mind. His left hand burned, a phantom limb aching as if it were still there.

His eyes darted around, still convinced that he was at Hanamura, but around him was the nothing more than the cold rock walls of his dorm in Gibraltar. Under him was not Hanzo’s plush king size bed, but the old metal-frame bunk that squeaked every time he moved.

Anxiously, he fumbled for his pack of cigarettes on the desk next to his bedside. He knocked around empty cans of beer, accidentally kicked a bottle of whiskey off the corner of his bed, but he couldn’t find his damn cigs.

“Lord Jesus Christmas-“ He grumbled until finally finding an unfinished fag from the night before, he grabbed his lighter and eagerly flicked. Just the heat from his lighter was enough to start soothing his nerves.

The smoke filled the small space, adding to the already stale stench of liquor and tobacco. A sorry state to be living in… But still, it was better than that pristine bedroom, with it’s tidy floors, perfumed air, and comfy blankets.

At least here he was safe.

His comm vibrated, loudly rattling against the metal table. Athena’s logo displayed on screen, “Good afternoon, Jesse McCree-“ Afternoon? That bad, huh? “-How are you feeling?”

He debated not answering that question, “Fine.” He croaked, before coughing.

“Your condition sounds worse.” Athena responded clinically, “Many local pharmacies have a variety of products to help with tobacco addiction: nicotine patches, nicotine gum, nicotine lollipops, nicotine popsicles-“

“I _know,_ Athena!” McCree said hoarsely, sucking on his cigarette and trying _not_ to feel ashamed of it.

Athena didn’t question, “I will now deliver updates regarding Lucio’s concert at Blizzard World: we have not received any follow-up from the warnings we sent to the US Federal Government, Lucio’s managers, or the amusement park authority itself.”

“Odd.” He replied, but he really wasn’t thinking about Lucio at the moment.

“Thus the decision has been made to send agents to the field. You will be departing today at 16:00 Central European Time with Reinhardt, Genji, Tracer, and Hanzo.”

Hanzo. Right. That damn monster was _here_ now. He hungrily inhaled the menthol smoke, feeling the burn on the back of his throat. It had only been three days since Hanzo decided to stick around with them at Gibraltar. This was _especially_ strange because he also made no effort to get to know anyone. Jesse could've completely forgotten the man was around if the fear of accidentally running into him wasn't constantly nagging at him, but it never happened. Hanzo was only around during group meetings, sometimes Jesse would spot him training by the old launch pad. Instead, Jesse had been enjoying his time with the others - especially Genji, when he wasn't with Zenyatta. Not that Jesse had a particular beef with the omnic, he just wasn't so into that new age mumbo jumbo.

Memories of the night before were slowly coming back to him. He was able to steal away Genji from his teacher for a short period. They sat on some lawn chairs on top of the kitchen – it had the best view of the sunset, Reinhardt had told them. McCree was maybe drinking a bit _too_ much. Genji, too, had indulged by secretly sneaking liquor into the tubes design to deliver nutrients to his non-mechanic parts (a trick the two had discovered way back). Up there they talked about the old days, a little about Angela, inevitably about Hanzo. Genji had revealed some rather dark feelings to him…

“Jesse McCree?” Athena pried.

He tapped out some ashes, “Yeah, still here. I heard ya.” He kicked his legs over the side of his bed. He was startled to find a little face smiling back up at him from his bedside table; a tiny wooden doll on a keychain hanging from the cap of an unopened lager. It was a gift he had secretly picked up for Genji at that little _onsen_ in Akita…

 _For you, it’s free!_ The owner had said, but he gave her a bill for it anyway.

Now he took the keychain, the size of it making his hand look comically big. He smiled a little; he had almost forgotten it. _“One souvenir from everywhere we visit!”_ He had used to joke with Genji.

He finished his cigarette, feeling a little brighter, and shoved the keychain into his backpocket (having forgotten to change out of his clothes, apparently). “Guess I oughta get my shit together.”

Over the desk was a mirror with rust encrusted around the edges. He reminded himself – as he did every morning – that he would have to clean it. The reflection of a hairy, tired man looked back at him. He sighed; used to be proud of that reflection in his younger days.

“Athena?”

“Yes, Jesse McCree?”

“Can you pull up a copy of my FBI ‘wanted’ photo?”

In the mirror, Athena pulled up the image next to his own reflection. McCree compared the two, seeing he was going to have to make some changes if he was going out in public...

He grabbed his razor, “Say, there wouldn’t happen to be any hair dye lying around?”

\-----

By Tracer’s jet, it took them nearly half the time to fly to California. Only it felt a whole lot longer because everyone kept teasing him.

“What’s that old TV show? Baywatch?” Lena giggled from the cockpit, “All that lifeguard get up-” She gasped, “I can see it now. You, running slow motion across the beach with Hasselhoff!“ She busted into laughter.

“I don’t look _that_ dumb.” McCree grumbled with his arms folded. His face was shaved, his hair was bleached, he wore red lifeguard shorts and a mismatching Hawaiian shirt. His cowboy hat replaced with a straw sun hat, his usual smoke replaced with a nicotine popsicle-  which tasted horrible.

He looked to Genji for help, “Tell ‘em, Genji. This is perfectly normal for California!”

“Of course.” Completely covered in his armor, it was easy for Genji to look serious, “You look very-“ Then he fell apart too, the lights of his armor flickering with each laugh.

“Hey!” Jesse knew he was blushing, but it was not so easy to hide without his beard, “Funny or not, people ain’t going to recognize me. That’s what’s important!”

“HA HA HA! IT IS TRUE!” Reinhardt boomed, “WHO WOULD THINK _YOU_ ARE THE INFAMOUS JESSE MCCREE!? HA HA HA!” His laughter filled the entire jet.

The only one who wasn’t laughing was Hanzo, who had been very preoccupied with his comm the whole trip. He was wearing his hoodie get up, looking like some kind of hipster.

“What about this guy?” Jesse gestured the popsicle toward him, “You got one hell of a bounty on your head too, bigger ‘an mine even. Don’t you think you should be a little more careful?”

Hanzo frowned back at him, before simply taking his hood and throwing it over his head. This effectively covered most of his features. That simple. He returned to his comm.

The others lost it. Of course.

 _“_ Whatever! WHAT-EVER!” Jesse shouted around at them, “When are we landing this damn thing!?”

\-----

In a very ostentatious, American sort-of-way, the massive sign for Blizzard World sparkled before them and speakers blasted pop music. The smell of hot dogs, hamburgers, and barbecue filled the air. And as if all that wasn’t a reminder enough of where they were, families and kids with star spangled hats and t-shirts dotted the crowds around them.

Sure felt like home. Jesse took a deep breath of the hot afternoon air, “Sure feels good to be back on ‘Merican soil.”

Hanzo stood next to him, his scowl made all the more mopey in the shadows of his hood, “I have never enjoyed visiting this country.”

Genji chuckled. “It _is_ noisy.”

But Lena matched Jesse’s spirit, “Blizzard World – in the flesh!” She sang, “Where should we go first? Flight to Duskwood? Hell Scream? Emily’s gonna be soooooo jealous! I hear they have a pylon the size of a-“

“Don’t get ahead of yourself!” Reinhardt scolded, “I remind you why we are here.”

Lena pouted with a fat bottom lip, “Doesn’t mean we can’t ‘ave a little bit of fun, yeah? Keep up morale and all that.”

The elder was quiet for a moment until he finally grumbled, “Of course. We can have a bit of fun-“

“YEAH!”

“BUT- Do not forget _why_ we are here!”

“’Course not big guy!” She looked to Genji, “Last one in is a rotten egg!” She said before zipping toward the entrance.

Never one to turn down a challenge, Genji chased after her. Reinhardt put his hands on his hips and laughed, watching them go, “What it is to be young!”

Didn’t have to be young to be though – Jesse found himself getting quickly caught up in the excitement as they paid for their tickets then poured over the park map, pointing out names they all recognized from their favorite childhood games. Lena was a Starcraft fan, little surprise there, but apparently Reinhardt was too. Hanzo contributed little to the conversation, when asked simply saying that their father didn’t ‘approve such frivolous use of technology’. Genji confirmed this, but admitted to secretly playing many hours of Diablo.

As for Jesse, he didn’t play video games too much as a kid, and he especially hated thinking back to his childhood… And yet, being here made him oddly nostalgic for that dingy dorm in West Virginia, with Joel kicking their console to get “Heroes of the Storm” running.

He eagerly sucked on one of his popsicles, looking forward to some sort of water rides – they were always his favorite. Especially log flumes; standing in the splash zone and getting sprayed was almost more exciting than the ride itself. With his prodding they agreed to visit the Spawning Pools Water Park first, for _reconnaissance,_ of course.

\------

Jesse, Lena, and Reinhardt were the only ones who indulged in the water. Genji was unable and Hanzo opted out. The two went off on their own instead to ‘fill in the map’, scouring the places hidden to park goers.

Athena’s intel informed them that Lucio’s concert would be taking place on the Pylon terrace. Sure enough, the terrace which was usually open to park goers was blocked off as staff prepared. Hanzo had to admit, the giant blue diamond looking ‘Pylon’ was rather impressive – if not over the top. More importantly, he noticed the design of the terrace would allow an almost 360 view of the concert for the audience below, meaning Lucio would be _quite_ exposed to possible attacks from above.

He made quick work to find all ledges to climb up onto, places where a sniper could be hidden. Genji, too, surveyed the space, reminding Hanzo to take note of any possible suggestion of Talon activity (and Hanzo reminded _him_ that he didn’t _need_ reminding). Ideally, they could _prevent_ a possible attack instead of reacting to one, but as the two did their work they couldn’t find anything suspicious.

“Are you sure about the information from the Talon comm?” Genji prodded him again as they stood in the shadowy corridors of what the map called “The Reign of the Black King”. It was a filthy stone building made to look like a crumbling European cathedral. Genji was especially excited to see it as it had something to do with his Diablo game. Hanzo couldn’t understand why the people around them were so thrilled by smelly, grimey, old-without-actually-being-old ruins. Some groups even snapped photos with what looked like boring rocks.

“Yes. I am absolutely sure of what I heard.” Hanzo reiterated. But the comm had been left in Akita. And, at the time, he hadn’t bothered to ask the old man for more information. That one brief conversation was all that he knew. It was very possible that nothing was going to happen.

He placed his hand against the cool rock, trying to cool his rising nerves. It was _all the more reason not to be here!_ All of this coupled with the news he got earlier the day was making today a rather difficult one. He couldn’t focus on calming himself, though, as there were two loud boys nearby, climbing all over everything while their father scrambled behind, shouting at them to ‘stay off that!’ or ‘get down from there!’

Genji sensed his agitation, “That’s okay.” He spoke gently, “It is better we be here in case something is to happen.”

Hanzo watched older boy push the younger off a ledge. The younger scraped his knee against some stones as he fell. Then lay on his back wailing as the older one rushed beside him, “Shhhh shhh!” He looked worriedly for their father, afraid of getting caught.

Would they be at the concert tomorrow?

Genji walked up beside him. He had changed out of his armor, finding it to be too hot (despite having some kind of thermal regulation, he had explained). He wore a hoodie and jeans, not unlike Hanzo’s, hair and face exposed, “What are you looking at?”

The younger had calmed some, nodding as his older brother spoke to him in gentle hushed tones.

“Nothing.” Hanzo turned away, leaning his back against a stone pillar. He noticed a keychain hanging from Genji’s belt loop – it was a small _kokeshi_ doll. “Did you get that in Akita?”

“Hm? Oh! This?” Genji lifted the _kokeshi_ , “Is it specific to Akita?”

“North Japan.”

Genji chuckled, “I see. I didn’t buy it, Jesse did. It’s an old tradition of ours. He buys me something everywhere we visit. It’s cute, isn’t it?”

Jesse bought it for him? The little face smiled back at Hanzo, mockingly. He could overhear the father scolding the older brother now, while the younger hurled accusations at him.

He moved from the pillar, “Let’s meet with the others. Surely they are done with their rides now.”

\------

Lena yawned, “I’m wrecked, loves.” The sun had long set but the park was nearly as bright as day and all activity in full swing. Reinhardt had already left for the hotel, but the others had stayed to do a bit more ‘work’. Lena pointed to a watch on her wrist, reminding the boys of what time it _actually_ was, “It’s getting late, must be like 5 am back in Gibraltar. Think we’ve done as much as we can, really. Should go back to the hotel; get a good night’s rest before tomorrow, yeah?”

“Can’t yet!” McCree plopped his hand on Genji’s head and ruffled his hair, feeling a little loose thanks to a flask of whiskey he had nicked from the Hearthstone tavern as soon as the sun touched the horizon line, “I still gotta get a gift for this fella!”

Genji smacked Jesse’s hand away, “ _Nandeyo…_ ” He grumbled, squinting at his reflection in a metal wall while trying to fix his hair, “You know I hate it when you do that.”

Just as Genji pulled his hands away, McCree ruffled it all up again. Genji turned on him, “ _Aho da!_ ” he slapped at McCree who was giggling like a child. Hanzo watched them quietly, while Lena pushed in, trying to intervene, “Quit jokin’ around, already! Just hurry up and get him somethin’ so we can go to bed!”

They happened to be standing just outside The Nexus Experience arcade, the entrance of which was packed with crane games. A cacophony of buzzers, sirens, and blasting music, all vied for the attention of passers-by. Lena blinked to a crane game full of murloc plushies, “They look kinda cute, yeah?” She tried.

But something else caught Genji’s eye, “ _Kawaii_.” He murmured walking up to one full with pachimari plushies. He placed his human hand against the glass, then looked back to McCree with begging eyes.

“Ohhhh no.” McCree drawled, “You _know_ those things are rigged!” Even from where he was standing he could see the flimsy-ness of the crane’s claws, designed to make your toy easy to ‘accidentally’ drop. McCree knew how these machines worked: the joy stick allowed only two movements, once horizontal, once vertical. And if that claw wasn’t _perfectly_ positioned or your toy angled just right, you were shit out of luck.

Jesse may or may not have punched holes in carnival games like this one when he was a kid.

Lena groaned, “C’mon Jess! We’re gonna be out here all night at this rate!”

“Gonna be out here all night anyway if he wants one of them!” He jutted his chewed-up popsicle stick at it, “I ain’t wastin’ any of my time or money on that!”

Genji’s brows furrowed in desperation, his eyes almost teary. Kid couldn’t even cry, his tear glands completely gone, but he was damn good at making a show, “But, Jesse, look at it!”

Jesse looked at it, and sneered, “Looks like a damn brussel sprout.“

“I’ll get it for you.”

They all looked surprised as Hanzo stepped forward, pulling some money from his pocket. Jesse had almost forgotten he was there.

Lena pumped her fist, “Man of the hour!”

Hanzo carefully surveyed the crane game before taking the joystick. Genji watched, eyes twinkling and expectant and McCree felt a pang of jealousy, “Whatever.” He grumbled, “Not gonna make any difference. Those machines never work any-“

Lena hollered, “He did it!”

Genji quickly snatched up the pachimari, looking at it with utter delight.

McCree waved his hand at it, “Bullshit! Must be broken or something. Those things never work!”

“Ha! Tell that to this new pachimari-parent.” Lena nodded her head to Genji, who held it up to Jesse’s face, “What shall I name him? How about _Saiya_?”

And then there was Hanzo, standing behind them, looking smug.

McCree pushed Genji aside, “Lemme see that!” The machine looked nothing special, it was already worn with scratches along the sides of the joystick, despite the park only being open for less than a month! This confirmed his suspicions, “Probably some old machine they picked up for cheap.”

He dropped in a coin, and the game confirmed his purchase with an upbeat jingle, “Get ready!” An announcer’s voice blurted from the tinny speaker. He immediately began moving the claw, not bothering to think hard about it as he was sure there was something that made it so easy for Hanzo, “Ain’t got nothing to do with skill, just luck and how well the damn machine functions.”

The claw dropped onto a pachimari’s head, clamped shut. Easy as pie. But then the claw pulled up, and dropped the plush immediately. Jesse looked into the blank eyes of the smiling pachimari, as the claw followed it’s programming, sliding up to the drop box and opening to drop… nothing. The machine played a failure song, a twittering downward spiral punctuated with the announcer barking, “Ow! That’s just too bad!”

He could hear the others snickering behind him. In the glass he could see Hanzo’s reflection, an amused smirk.

McCree threw his hand into his pocket, finding another coin.

“Alright, alright, enough already!” Lena put her hand on the man’s shoulder, “You’re right, it's probably just from some rubbish heap. Genji has his toy now, let’s just go back to the hotel!”

He shrugged off her arm, “I ain’t leavin’ ‘til I’ve proven my point!” The machine chimed and repeated, “Get ready!”

This time he paid a little more attention to where he was moving the joy stick. Right, stop. Up, stop. Drop. Didn’t even clamp on the damn thing’s head this time. The claw moved back, dropping nothing and the machine barked, “Ow! That’s just too bad.”

He grabbed for another coin.

“Alright!” Lena threw up her hands, “I give up. I’m going back.” She shoved her hand in her pockets and began walking away, “Toodles!”

In the glass reflection he could see Genji’s happiness fading, changing to concern as he failed again to get a pachimari; “Ow! That’s just too bad!”

“She is right.” Hanzo suddenly said, “It is getting late.”

But McCree had riled himself up into a frenzy, partly fueled by the whiskey. He turned on Hanzo, finding some strength in the fact he was still _taller_ than the other, “It was _luck!_ ” He nearly spat, “You were just damn lucky! That’s all!”

Hanzo folded his arms, undeterred by McCree’s intimidation, “It was not _luck_. Even a _fool_ could do it.”

McCree clenched his fists, holding himself back from tackling the arrogant bastard right there in the middle of the arcade. And Hanzo glared back at him, _daring_ him to.

“Well y’know what? It doesn’t matter _anyway_ , ‘cuz he wanted a damn toy from _me_ , not _you._ ”

“Actually, I really don’t care if it-“ Genji started, but was ignored.

“You think you can patch up a relationship with some toy?” McCree pointed at Genji, “Stick a bandaid over _those_ wounds!?”

Genji was wide eyed, “Jesse-“ he tried.

“He may have _forgiven_ you, but that don’t mean he _likes_ you. None of us do! We don’t even know why you’re here!”

“You do not speak for my feelings.” Genji spoke more harshly.

But Jesse was still ignoring him, all eyes on Hanzo, who said nothing, simply looking back with that same bitter look. He pressed in, dropping his voice so that they couldn’t be overheard, “You know what he told me the other night?”

“Jesse!” Genji shouted, dropping the plush and grabbing for him, knowing what was coming next.

“-He told me that when he held that sword to your throat he _wanted_ to kill you.”

Genji pulled McCree away from his brother, then stood between them, furious, “I told you that in _confidence._ Not to use as a weapon against my _own_ _brother!_ ”

Hanzo stood there for maybe one full second before wordlessly turning and walking away. He didn’t have any expression. Just shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked out of the arcade.

Genji and McCree both watched him disappear into the crowds, then Genji turned back to McCree – his eyes full of disappointment. And McCree felt it in his chest, he had _really_ screwed up. He exhaled a load of hot air, deflating, “Christ…”

“I trusted you.” Genji’s mechanical voice could sound so seething.

“Yeah, god…” McCree scratched the back of his head, “I’m… I’m real sorry-“

“Empty words.” Despite being shorter, Genji was looking down on him, “You accuse my brother of being _unfriendly,_ yet engage in such behavior. I do not have to remind you that that the others are all wary of _you_ , too.”

That stung. He did _not_ have to be reminded, made it no less painful to hear, “Yeah well, he doesn’t care what we all think-“

“How are you so sure?”

“Just look at the fella! He wants nothing to do with us. It’s as plain as day!”

Genji lost his patience, and now he was walking away from McCree too. “Oh, c’mon Genji!” McCree called after him.

Genji paused, turning back to him to say, “You and Hanzo are more alike than you think. For example, you two are both _inhumanly_ stubborn!” If the man could spit, he probably would’ve, but instead he just walked away.

McCree rubbed his head, feeling like a right fool. Behind him, the crane game shouted out above the din, “Ow! That’s just too bad!” His eyes fell on the pachimari, lying no the floor.

He gently picked it up, it’s blank stare looking almost sad. He squished the plush down into his back pocket, really hating what he knew he had to do.

\-----

The Hearthstone tavern had a particular smell to it; hemlock, pine smoke mixed with tobacco and pungent ales. While playing Hearthstone as a kid, McCree had never imagined what it might smell like – being here gave the game a whole new depth.

The tavern, too, looked and sounded like it were straight out of the game. Conversation was punctuated with the sound of cards being shuffled or flipped, the rumble of dice on wood, clicking tokens passed between players. The only thing out of place were the patron’s modern clothes, in stark contrast to the rest of the tavern. But no one stood out to him as much as Hanzo, who was sitting tucked into the corner, as if he were trying to blend in with the shadows. Perhaps to others he would’ve been successful, but Jesse’s eyes were drawn to him instantly.

“Mind if I join?” Jesse asked, pulling out a chair for himself.

Hanzo warily looked up and before he could say no, Jesse placed the plush toy onto the table between them, “A peace offerin’.”

Hanzo’s eyes looked a little glassy as they fell onto _Saiya,_ then his lips curled with disgust, “You were right. It is a smelly vegetable.” He pushed it aside.

Alright, well it wasn't 'no'. Jesse carefully took the seat across from him, “What you drinking?”

“Gin.”

Not Hanzo's first choice of drink, Jesse remembered. He stole a glass off a table behind him, “Mind if I have some?”

He was a little surprised when Hanzo wordlessly lifted the bottle and poured a drink for him. He could tell it was strong, damn near burned his eyes looking into it. After pouring himself one too, Hanzo lifted the shot to his lips and weakly muttered, “ _Kanpai._ ” Before throwing it back.

“Cheers!” McCree took the shot, “Christ!” He gasped, dropping the glass onto the table and gagging, “The hell is this? Gasoline!?” he coughed, eyes tearing up.

Hanzo’s glum mood seemed to pick up a little. How much he enjoyed seeing McCree in some sort of agony. This time, though, Jesse tried not to let it bother him. He forced a smile, “Bit surprised – remember you havin’ better tastes than this.”

“It is not a drink to be enjoyed.” Hanzo poured himself another.

“The way you’re drinkin, might as well just have it straight from the bottle.” Jesse gestured at the glass, “Get rid of the middle man.”

Hanzo stopped mid pour, “I am _not_ a barbarian.”

“Of course.” Jesse chuckled.

Hanzo shot him a dirty look, ceasing his laughter. He finished pouring his drink, "I assume Genji sent you here."

"Well uh-" McCree shuffled uncomfortably, "Yeah."

“Hm.” Hanzo brought the glass back to his lips, but only sipped this time. An awkward silence passed between the two as Jesse poured himself another glass of the vile stuff, and tried sipping at it too. He hadn't expected Hanzo to let him sit down. Part of him thought his 'peace offering' would just be denied and then he could leave and report back to Genji that hetried.

But Hanzo let him sit down. And now here they were. Sitting across from each other.

Hanzo didn't look happy either. Not that he ever did, but the alcohol was loosening his intensity, the rigid bitterness giving way to a different emotion. Exhaustion? Sadness?

Annoyingly, it tugged at Jesse's heart strings, which is the last thing he wanted. He cleared his throat, “So uh... Look. I guess we're working together. I guess we oughta find a way to keep from biting each other's heads off.”

"I was not the one who insulted first."

"Bull shit!" Jesse nearly slammed his fist on the table, but quickly realized he was losing his head again. He never remembered having such a bad temper, maybe he took after Gabe more than he realized.

Or maybe there was just something about Hanzo that brought it out of him.

Jesse rubbed his eyes with his right hand, "Alright, fine. You're right. I've been a bit of an ass." But it was so easy to yell at someone when you didn't think they were listening or cared anyway.

Did Hanzo care?

Jesse desperately scrutinized Hanzo's reaction, hoping the alcohol would reveal some of his hand. Hanzo tilted his head curiously, then his eyes gently fell to Jesse's left arm. Again, that strange look, the same look he had when Genji turned down the old man's meal. Guilt?

Jesse slowly lowered the arm, "You wanna look at it?"

Hanzo looked down at the hand, almost haughty, before carefully taking it in his. He quietly expected it, curious. Seemingly full of question but not willing to ask them. Finally he observed, "It is cold..."

"Well, yeah, it's cold hard steel." Jesse twitched it's fingers.

Hanzo let go, "I accept your apology." He said simply, staring down at his drink, "Now you may leave."

Tired. Sad. Jesse's throat hitched, and he suddenly remembered the second part of Genji's story; at the very moment when Genji held the sword to his brother's throat, blood lust overwhelming him... Hanzo spoke:

_"Do it then. Kill me."_

Hanzo slowly lifted the bitter drink to his lips. Looking defeated.

Jesse took a deep breath, "Say. How about we play game?"

"A game?" Hanzo lowered the drink, glancing at the cards and playing mat laid out between them.

“No- no!” McCree shoved the cards and mat aside, some falling to the floor, “I mean a drinking game.”

“A drinking game?”

“Yeah - Truth or Dare! Oldest game in the book.” McCree jutted his thumb at himself, “I ask you ‘truth or dare?’ If you pick truth you gotta answer any question I ask with the whole truth and nothing but the truth, or drink. If you pick dare then you gotta do something I ask you, no if, ands, or buts. Or drink.”

Hanzo cocked an eyebrow, “Those are the only rules?”

“Yep.”

“What if I _want_ to drink?”

“Oh c’mon, where’s your sense of fun?”

“If it means you will leave me alone. Fine.” Hanzo put his glass down in front of him, “Truth.”

McCree was honestly a little surprised the other agreed to play, but okay, might as well roll with it; “Alright. So uh… The hell is botherin you so damn much? Is it what happened back at the arcade?”

Hanzo scowled, “No.” Then his expression softened some, “Not entirely...”

“Look I’m really sorry about what I said about Genji-“

“I am not upset about that.”

“-I was actin’ like a child. He really does forgive you, you know. My feelin’s about it have nothin’ to do with him. Just wanna make that clear-”

“It’s not Genji!”

A couple of folks nearby glanced over at their table. Hanzo straightened his posture, trying to look casual until the bystanders had looked away again, “I was upset before the arcade. It’s… Usagi.”

“What? What’s an _usagi_?”

“ _Who_ is Usagi. A man I was seeing in Osaka. He messaged earlier to say our relationship is finished…” He sighed morosely, “It is not a surprise. We have not seen each other since Christmas.”

McCree was _not_ expecting that, “Wait. You- You have a boyfriend!?”

“No. He was not a boyfriend.” Then he looked aside, “Certainly not _now_.”

McCree tapped his foot and drummed his metal fingers on the table, heat welling in his chest. Hanzo had a boyfriend? Someone as damn bitter and arrogant as Hanzo? What was Jesse thinking, of course, he did. Someone that damn handsome couldn’t just walk around without a string of lovers falling along behind. Who the hell was this man? What did he look like? What was did he act like?

“God damn.” He muttered, taking his own drink, “You have a god damn boyfriend.”

“Not a boyfriend.” Hanzo insisted, “Anyway, is that really so surprising?”

“No just – “ Years on the road without a soul to talk to meant Jesse had plenty of nights with a really sorry case of blue balls. Whatever, he thought, it’s part of the loner life, but apparently other loners like Hanzo were still getting some while he was left wanking over magazine clippings, low-quality pixelated porn, or just memories. Memories of his Blackwatch days and meeting beautiful men from all around the world, indulging with them in long nights of ecstasy… Men like- “Your turn. Just ask me the damn question.”

“Okay.” Hanzo leaned back in the chair, “Truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

Hanzo looked around before his eyes fell onto a jar sitting at the side of their table by the salt and pepper shakers. “Eat this.” He slid it out in front of Jesse.

Inside was something pickled. Jesse’s nose crinkled as he lifted it up, trying to identify the fleshy pink and sickly yellow-green substances floating inside, “Hanzo, this is disgusting.”

“It’s a dare. ’ _Ain’t_ ’ supposed to be fun.” Hanzo mocked.

“Your accent is worse than mine.” Jesse popped open the jar.

Hanzo raised his brows, “You will really eat that?”

“It’s a dare, ain’t it?” Jesse raise the jar to his nose, “Ugh!” He winced, “Smells worse than the gin.”

Hanzo watched wide-eyed as Jesse pinched his nose, threw back his head, and swallowed its contents. Whatever it was, it was sour and slimey, sliding down his throat like a bunch of snails. He hunched over and lurched, feeling like he was about to puke it up. Whiskey, Hanzo’s gin mixed with whatever the hell was in that jar on an empty stomach; a lethal combination. Hanzo kept watching in amazement until Jesse swallowed hard then slid back the empty jar, “There.” He burped.

Hanzo’s mouth was agape. Then he broke into laughter.

“Glad one of us is feelin’ good.” Jesse grumbled.

“You are a fool.” It was an insult, but Hanzo’s tone wasn’t insulting. Almost fond. The two locked eyes for a moment, and McCree couldn’t tell if it was whatever the hell he just ate was causing the butterflies in his gut or somethin’ else.

He tore his eyes away and hungrily downed another glass, hoping the alcohol would burn away the remnants of that awful thing, then waved their empty bottle at a passing server. The waiter nodded, and rushed to the bar to get them another, “Alright your turn again, truth or dare?” Jesse asked.

“Truth.”

“Coward. Try a dare.”

“After you did _that_? No, thank you.”

The waiter returned with a new bottle. They filled their glasses. McCree took a long drink, finding it more easy to palate after whatever the hell he ate, “Okay uh…” He searched his mind for a question, but found he kept going back to Hanzo’s _boyfriend_. How many men had Hanzo slept with? He knew way back when they were in Hanamaura that Hanzo had perhaps as many suitors as his brother – he was just much more careful and secretive than the floozy Genji.

Old feelings bloomed in his chest, remembering how Hanzo had _picked him,_ the memory drifting back as the gin spread to his finger and toes. How special he felt to be in the one in the Lord’s bed chambers, their secret and dangerous affair. He always figured he was probably one of many lovers, but Hanzo was so closed off that Jesse had no way of knowing.

What did it matter anyway? The man was a criminal, a monster, a _murderer._ Plenty of better men Jesse had slept with. He had put all of those feelings aside after what happened, turning all passion to hatred. And he didn’t want that to change. Was desperate for it to stay that way.

And yet when he opened his mouth, what did he say? “Best sex you ever had?”

It was the gin, god dammit. Making him say stupid shit.

Hanzo frowned, and Jesse wondered for a moment if Hanzo was thinking about him. “How vulgar.”

“You don’t have to answer the question.” Jesse nodded to Hanzo’s drink.

Hanzo had his drink and Jesse was surprised to feel a little disappointed. Whatever, probably better if he didn’t hear the answer-

“Yoshitsune.”

McCree was taken aback, “Yoshi-who now?”

Hanzo had a devilish smile, “A pseudonym. Picked it himself from some old archetype of 'the ideal man'. I remember it well. He was my first. I hired him specifically for his… expertise. I wanted to learn everything I could.” His finger tapped his lips, “He was… a remarkable teacher.”

 _Hired_. Of course, being the Lord of Japan’s largest underground crime syndicate surely meant he had money to spend on such luxuries. But unlike most men, Jesse knew Hanzo well enough to know that for him it was less for pleasure. McCree shook his head, “You’re the only man I’d know who’d _study_ sex first instead of just diving in.”

“Surely, it was worthwhile?” Hanzo lifted his brow, drilling his gaze into McCree. McCree swallowed hard, the gin making his thoughts disobey him. They wandered back to that silken bed, Hanzo’s expert hands sliding down his body, finding all of the places that made him-

He took his drink hard, drowning out his thoughts, “My turn, I recall.” He coughed.

Hanzo smiled knowingly, running his finger around the rim of his glass. Jesse felt his anger flaring again, an emotional shield against other more desirous thoughts…

“Truth or dare?” Hanzo finally asked.

“Dare.”

“Really? After the last time?”

“Yeah. I ain’t some wuss.”

Hanzo took a deep breath, looking at the empty jar with a slight look of disgust, “I dare you to…” He mulled, tapping his finger against the table, “Sing.”

“Sing?”

“Yes.” Hanzo waved his hand toward the rest of the tavern, the gesture somewhat wobbly, evidence of his intoxication, “Your audience awaits.”

McCree looked into the tavern, then back to Hanzo, “You know I’m gonna do it.”

Hanzo folded his arms with a malicious grin, “Yes. I know.”

“Trying to embarrass me?”

Hanzo’s smile was enough of an answer. McCree shook his head, downed his drink, “Just sayin’ you’re the one whose gonna be embarrassed.” He rose up then cleared his throat, “Excuse me!” He shouted across the bar.

Some of the conversations around him quieted, people turned away from their games and toward their little corner of the tavern. He’d be lying if he said he _wasn’t_ embarrassed, but a dare was a dare, and he never said no to a dare, “Evenin’ folks.” He tipped his hat, “The name’s Joel.” – One of his many aliases – “How you all doin’ tonight?”

The patrons looked to one another confused. They responded with quiet murmurs between one another.

“Well, I’m just havin’ a grand old time with my friend, _Yoshitsune_ , here.” He nodded to Hanzo, who had his hand over his mouth, trying to hide his amusement, “So I thought I’d like to sing you all a little song that reminds me of home.” He cleared his throat, trying to ignore the fact that he was definitely blushing up to his fingertips now.

“Almost heaven, West Virginia!” He began belting hoarsely – worst singer in the world, Jack used to tell him, and that man never lied, “Blue ridge mountains, Shenandoah river… Life is old there, older than the trees.”

Someone began clapping the beat, others around them joined in. McCree waved his hands, trying to encourage them; “Country road! Take me home! To the place – I belong!!” His voice cracked on that last note, but it didn’t matter because some people began singing along with him, “West Virginia, Mountain mama! Take me home – Country road.”

\-------

They were kicked out.

“You are a terrible singer.” Hanzo told him as they walked back toward the hotel.

“Bet that ain’t what the rest of the tavern would say!” McCree was on an adrenaline high, “You hear the rest of them folks? Gosh! I bet that whole tavern was singing!” He shook his head, giddy, “That’s the beauty of song, ain’t it? Brings everyone together! Y’know, I tried learning the harmonica back in the-” His flip flop caught on the sidewalk and he tripped. Hanzo caught him before he smacked the pavement.

“You are drunk.”

Jesse reached into his shirt, “Not yet…” He pulled out a bottle he had tucked away.

“You stole from the tavern. Again.” Hanzo shook his head, “Rather petty for a ‘hero’.”

Jesse unscrewed the cap, “Y’know how much we're payin’ to be here? It's a crime! They ain’t gonna miss a cheap ass bottle of piss. And besides, we ain’t finished our game yet. I believe it was _your_ turn.”

\-----

“I’m a little insulted…”

“Hm?”

The two were sitting back to back on the roof of the hotel (Hanzo had to show Jesse how to scramble up). The pachimari plushie was stuck between them. It was well into the night but hot air still lingered. The amusement park glittered before them, lights from the roller coaster, pylon, and ferris wheel reflected on a pond next to their hotel. Apparently Blizzard World never sleeps, but it had quieted some.

They had worn their game out long ago, but learned quite a bit about each other. McCree hated vegetables, no surprise, but Hanzo really hated sea urchin – which was apparently a rather common kind of sushi. McCree dropped out of school before he was fourteen, while Hanzo was elected student council president at his elite private institution. They both claimed to be heart throbs, but the validity of that couldn’t be confirmed. Hanzo also discovered there really wasn’t a dare that Jesse wouldn’t turn down, which turned out to be an excellent source of entertainment.

Hanzo could hear the gin sloshing in the almost empty bottle as McCree took another swig, “I said, I’m a lil' insulted.”

His accent was thicker when he was drunk, and he shamelessly slurred. Not at all afraid of looking as drunk as he was. Did the man have any pride?

Hanzo stiffened his posture, trying to remain composed, “Why are you insulted?” Taking care to enunciate properly, lest his tongue disobey him.

McCree readjusted against Hanzo's back; why had they gotten this close? He couldn't remember. But the man smelled of clove tobacco and honey whiskey, musky yet sweet.

“Yer best sex… y’know.”

Hanzo snorted, he could’ve guessed that, “You wanted it to be you?”

“Thought I did you better…”

Hanzo tapped McCree’s shoulder. McCree passed the gin over his head to Hanzo. He looked at the bottle, his mind swaying like he were on a ship at sea, knowing he shouldn't be drinking so much... Alcohol always made him loose, made him more likely to say things he didn't want to. Yet he couldn't ignore how his heart was full of pins and needles, part of him desperately wanting to mend the mistakes he made, the people he hurt.

That included Jesse too.

“I liked having you around for… other reasons.” He took a swig.

“Other reasons?” McCree shook his head, “Damn, I get it, Han. You could just say it was bad.”

Hanzo wiped his mouth. Nope. He wasn’t drunk enough to be getting into _that_ conversation, “How about you? Who was your best sex, then?”

“Heh…” He felt McCree relax against his back, his head dangerously close to falling on Hanzo’s shoulder, “I ain’t telling you that.”

“I _dare_ you.”

“Ha! That ain’t no fair, Han.”

 _Han._ So familiar. McCree rose up off of Hanzo’s back, and turned, swinging his legs over the edge of the rooftop, looking like he could be sick. He weakly waved for the bottle, “Different question.”

 _Coward._ Hanzo passed the bottle to him.

McCree took his drink. There wasn’t much left, “How about the nicest thing anyone ever said to you?”

Hanzo rolled his eyes, “Disgusting.”

But Jesse looked at him with those hazel eyes, and just gave him that friendly smile, “I’m in a good mood.”

Hanzo folded his arms; they were six stories up and the ground was spinning underneath. The nicest thing? The bittersweet memory bubbled up from the murky depths. He definitely wouldn't be saying this if he were sober, “You’re perfect.”

“What?” McCree blushed a little.

“Not you, pest.” Hanzo snatched the bottle back from him, “The nicest thing someone told me. ‘You’re perfect’.”

“Oh.” McCree shrugged, “That's a lil' borin'.”

“You have something more creative, then?”

“Nicest thing someone’s said?” McCree leaned against a ventilation unit directly behind them, putting his hands behind his head, “Hmmm… 'Kay, yer right. That’s a tough one.” He shuffled, “Probably somethin' Gabe said to me.”

“Gabe?”

“Commander Gabriel Reyes. Heard of him?”

Hanzo frowned, “Your superior at Blackwatch.”

“Yeah… I was one helluva daddy’s boy. Just loved him. If he told me to drop to the floor and shine his shoes with my tongue I would’ve asked ‘which one first?’ Kissed his ass all day to get his approval.”

What a hideous metaphor. The gin had dulled his sharpness, but Hanzo had no trouble pulling Reyes from his memory. The fall of Overwatch was an international sensation, and Gabriel Reyes and a so-called Jack Morrison were at the heart of it. The two were household names.

But he was familiar with Reyes from well before that. Overwatch and it’s covert Blackwatch unit had long been keen to take down the Shimada-gumi empire. Hanzo clenched the glass bottle in his fist as past resentment boiled in his gut. And shame. Complete and utter shame. Shame that he _had allowed them into his very house._

“You okay?”

Hanzo finished the drink then hurled the empty bottle into the pond.

“Han?”

He stood up.

“Wait- You leavin?”

Hanzo walked past him, toward the drainpipe they had climbed up.

“Wait – I got more!” He could hear McCree shaking another bottle. Where the hell was he hiding that? Whatever. Hanzo didn’t care. He jumped over the edge and slid down the pipe.

McCree watched him go, a little confused as to why the man suddenly got so mad.

“Whatever.” He shrugged, opening the next bottle, “More for me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading!  
> 


	5. Showtime!

Hanzo was having a bad day.

To be fair, it was rare that he had a ‘good’ day. He wasn’t even entirely sure what a ‘good day’ might look like anymore. But he was _sure_ that today was definitely ‘bad’.

Why was it bad? Because of _Genji_. As usual.

And the boy – sure he was only a few years younger than Hanzo but he _acted_ like a child so he deserved the title of a child – had even been shaping up recently. That sweet little Swiss nurse had cleaned him up some. Hanzo didn’t know much about her, Genji was trying his best (which wasn’t very good) to keep her secret for some reason. Normally this would bother him, but she was keeping Genji in line so he didn’t care. Best not to ask questions and upset everything.

Well. _Something_ must have happened between them because Genji was dragged in from the streets this morning still drunk and making a complete scene in front of the family elders. Not that intoxication was a punishable offense, but the Shimada-gumi were struggling with information leaks, so they were taking extra care to avoid such thoughtless behavior.

Genji was out of line.

As Oyabuns, they would never be directly criticized. But Hanzo knew the rumors: they were _too young,_ too _ill-suited_. _Too reckless._ It was _no wonder_ information was getting leaked. Hanzo and Genji were _not_ proper leaders.

Hanzo nocked his arrow, aimed it at the target and fired. It buried into the wood with a loud ‘THUNK!’. He had become accustomed to practicing with his bow when he needed to let off steam.

It wasn’t helping much now though. Even his tattoo, the symbol of his authority, was sizzling. Clearly Hanzo was destined to be the sole Oyabun. But before he died, Sojiro had given it to _both_ of them: _“You have demonstrated that you can be a powerful leader. Indeed, you took all of Genji’s ambition… But Genji… He took all of your love. This is why you will rule together.”_

Genji groaned behind him, leaning against a red painted pillar with a cold cloth pressed against his forehead. Hungover, melodramatic, acting forlorn…

What use was love when it made you behave in such a way!?

Hanzo fired into the bull’s eye, a dark part of him imagining it were Genji’s head. The feeling frightened him a little and he lowered his gaze to the ground. He knew he had to talk to Genji. He just didn’t want to.

Reluctantly he turned to his younger brother.

“I know what you’re going to say.” Genji grumbled, his hair dyed a hideous neon green.

“And yet, you do not listen.” Hanzo knuckles were white on his bow.

“You wouldn’t understand.” Genji’s eyes were tired and bloodshot, but was he still able to give Hanzo a dirty look, “You are _heartless_.”

Heartless. Young. Ill-Suited. Bad Tempered. Arrogant. Incapable.

And frustratingly helpless. What could he do to make Genji care? His closest adviser insisted the answer was clear: _“He is a burden to you. He is holding you back. Cut him off and take what is rightfully yours.”_

He returned to his target practice, pulling another arrow back, the bowstring creaking as it stretched taut, “Genji.” Hanzo spoke low and sternly, “You are leaving me with little choice.”

Fire – Thunk!

“What? Are you going to kill me?”

Hanzo turned and the two locked eyes; two dragons daring each other, a rift pushing them further and further apart.

 _“It was you who made him this way.”_ Their mother’s accusing voice pried at the back of Hanzo’s mind. He could see her now, leaning against the very same pillar Genji was lounging on now, _“Older brother. You just couldn’t let him learn things the hard way. Always rushing in to catch him before he fell, cleaning him up after he made a mess.”_ She shook her head, _“You spoiled him.”_

Hanzo was the first to break eye contact. He returned his bow, his arrows, and left Genji in the courtyard. He couldn’t speak to Genji like this, and the bow practice wasn’t helping. As he walked toward his chambers he slipped a comm from his pocket.

He was not proud of what he did next – unlike the archery this was a _bad_ way to let off steam, but also a much more effective way.

He messaged the cowboy.

Hanzo had his own secret relationships too, but unlike his careless brother he was _much better_ at keeping them secret. This particular lover was an American man named Jesse McCree who was in Hanamura ‘on business’. That was all Hanzo knew. That was all he cared to know. He liked to keep personal details to a minimum.

He hastily typed his message -

Hanzo: I desire a meeting.

So diligent, the American messaged him almost immediately after.

Jesse: Sweetheart, I’ve been thinking about you all day. I've been checking my comm every minute in case you’d message me.

The charming words roused warmth in his chest; it was this feeling he so shamefully wanted to indulge in.

Hanzo: Rikimaru. 19:30.

Jesse: Oh honey, I’ll count every second.

Hanzo smiled a little, computing how many seconds that was from now.

By 20:00 they were in Hanzo’s bed. Hanzo pressed Jesse’s wrists down into the mattress.

Clove tobacco and honey whiskey - the taste always fresh on Jesse’s tongue. The flavor was strong yet oddly appetizing. They pulled their mouths away momentarily and Hanzo licked his lips, savoring it. His chest was full to bursting, yet his belly was empty and craving.

He ran his fingers across the other man’s hairy chest, reveling in how little he groomed himself – so hairy and uncivilized. Jesse closed his eyes and deflated underneath him, letting Hanzo have his way.

“Would’a cleaned up a little had I thought you’d be poking around there…”

Hanzo almost laughed - how could this dolt possibly ‘clean up’ to Hanzo’s standards? But he didn’t care. He hastily chased after what was his – lust replacing fury, but not fast enough. Genji, his advisers, his responsibilities all were nagging at him and if _this could just make it all hush for just two seconds-_

He slid his hands down toward Jesse’s waistband, causing the cowboy to chuckle, “You’re awful eager today, hun!”

So chatty. Normally his lovers were more quiet but Jesse was like a cheerleader. Americans – babbling on and on and saying nothing. Whatever, at least it distracted him from his thoughts.

He paused when his fingers ran over some scars. Hanzo pulled back some, observing what looked like they could’ve been the remnants of… knife wounds? Haphazard slashes across the cowboy’s abdomen – some deep, some light.

How had he never noticed them before? He scrutinized more carefully, noticing other scars pockmarked around Jesse’s skin – his chest, his arms…

A dangerous thought occurred to him: _Who exactly is this man?_

Was Hanzo the one being reckless?

McCree opened one eye, “Hm? Hun?"

“It is nothing.” Hanzo returned to what he was doing. He tugged at Jesse’s belt with the ridiculous buckle – BAMF: a childish English acronym. How young was this man? Couldn't of been _much_ younger than him...

_“You are both too young.”_

Jesse sat up some, gently staying Hanzo’s hand, “You okay? Yer acting kind of funny.”

Hanzo winced. Criticism from _Jesse_ was the _last_ thing he wanted to hear today, “Nothing is wrong. I am fine.”

“Don’t sound fine…” The American was so forthright with his feelings, wearing them all over his face and in his body language; his eyes softened, his brow furrowed.

Such loving concern wasted on a heartless man.

Hanzo pulled away, “I am sorry.” He sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed his robe, “Perhaps I am under the weather. I will arrange a car to take you to-“

“Hey now, that’s not what I’m saying.” Jesse sidled up beside him, his tone all honey and sugar, “Sweetheart, how about you let me treat you tonight?”

Hanzo was taken off guard. Treat _him?_ He didn’t think any of his lovers ever offered that – too intimidated.

“No.”

Jesse delicately put his hand on top of Hanzo’s, careful not to offend, “Now honey, I can’t brag about being as damn good as you at pleasin’ a man. In fact, don’t think I ever met anyone who could make a grown ass adult sing like that! But, gosh, I’d give anything to make you feel good.”

Hanzo didn’t entirely understand the compliment, but he got the gist. He was used to hearing such flattery from the men he slept with and couldn’t be so easily impressed. Yet, somehow, it sounded more genuine coming from McCree. Maybe it was his lilting accent.

He wasn’t entirely sure he was comfortable relenting control… But for some reason, he felt he could trust McCree.

“Fine.” Hanzo sighed, refusing to look at him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could make out Jesse beaming at the opportunity, “Alright, honey, just lie back.”

Hanzo reluctantly did so, scowling and skeptical.

Now Jesse was over top of him, giant arms pressing into both sides of his pillow. Hanzo knew the man was big, but he seemed even more beastly from this perspective.

“Now whatever yer thinkin’ about-“ Jesse instructed, “Just stop. Close your eyes and just enjoy.” He winked playfully.

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

“Right,” Jesse chuckled, “‘course honeybun.”

Patronizing. Hanzo had half a mind to scold him, but was too tired to bother. He closed his eyes, and lay there, waiting for Jesse to do something… But…

He didn’t.

Hanzo slowly opened his eyes to find Jesse looking down at him; it was a little weird. But he looked so… happy?

“Gosh Hanzo… You’re-“ The voice caught in his throat.

Hanzo stiffened, the fury returning. You’re too young. You’re too heartless. You’re too reckless. People always telling him what he _was_ or _wasn’t_.

“What?” He forced through gritted teeth, “I’m _what?”_

But Jesse’s hazel eyes were glassy, his cheeks flushed, and his mouth ticked up ever so slightly, “You’re perfect.”

\-----

Head pounding. Mouth dry. McCree dared to roll over, only to find that was _definitely_ a mistake. Vomit erupted from his gut and he threw his head over the side of the bed just in time to chunder onto the floor.

Not his finest moment, but heck he’s had worse.

“How much did I drink?” He grumbled to no one. Also a question he’s asked himself plenty of mornings. Jesse sunk deep into the plush mattress of their accommodation at Blizzard World, not ready to face the day yet.

This bed wasn’t bad for their cheap budget. He let himself give back into sleep.

_“You’re perfect.”_

He smiled a little at the happy memory. Feeling his fingers around the soft bed sheets, remembering the feel of Hanzo’s bed too.

_“You’re perfect.”_

_“Not you, pest. The nicest thing someone told me.”_

Jesse shot straight up in his bed, “Fuck!”

He grabbed his comm, “Shit!” It was long past noon. The sun was setting just outside his window.

He accessed the mission group line as he threw the blanket off himself and scrambled out of bed- nearly slipping in the puke.

“Christ Almighty-“ _I’ll clean that later_.

“Mornin’ Jess!” Lena’s pixelated avatar lit up on the screen, “Or should I say, evenin’? Ha ha!”

“Why didn’t any y’all wake me up!” McCree barked at the comm, slipping out of his sandals after realizing he had forgotten to put his trousers on first.

“Wanted you to sleep it off. Need to be in tip top shape for the concert, yeah?”

Outside his window, Jesse could hear the distant sounds of music and people cheering, “Ain’t no damn use being ‘in shape’ if I ain’t even there!”

“Not to worry.” Winston’s avatar lit up, “Lena, Reinhardt, Genji, and Hanzo have only just gotten into position. Athena and I are standing by back here in Gibraltar.”

Hanzo. He had to get there. He had to talk to Hanzo. McCree quickly grabbed Peacekeeper and- Oh god.

He had forgotten he disguised it as a water gun. It looked absurd.

He holstered his damn gun, muttering about being ‘too old for this shit’ then pushed out the door, “Where is Hanzo?” He asked after hastily shoving in the bluetooth earpiece.

Lena tittered back: “Up long before you, mate!”

Thankfully they had booked rooms close to the hotel entrance. Rounding the corner, McCree was already in the lobby. He tapped the earpiece to respond: “Is he there? Is he on the group line?”

“Yes.” Hanzo’s gruff voice spoke back to him, “I am here.”

“Hanzo!” He stopped to hold the door open for an older couple, giving them a quick smile and nod before continuing on toward the main park.

“You do not need to shout, McCree!” Reinhardt’s voice rattled in the earphone, “We can all hear you!”

Comm out of his pocket. He fumbled around for a moment, still not familiar with the new program. He jabbed his finger on Hanzo’s grumpy avatar a couple of times to give him a direct line, “Hanzo. What you said last night. The nicest thing someone said-“

_“You’re perfect.”_

He stumbled over the curb where he had nearly fallen yesterday if Hanzo hadn’t caught him. Hazy memories were still coming back to him from the night before, but none were as clear as that moment on the roof.

“It was me. I told you that. God damn, back then, Hanzo-“

_“I liked having you around for… other reasons.”_

“-You had feelings for me!”

The line was silent. Jesse felt he might puke again. Then, gently, Genji’s voice spoke back to him, “Jesse… Did you mean for that to be on the group line?”

“Consarnit!” He grabbed the comm again, “I hate this new program!”

\-----

Hanzo squeezed the bridge of his nose, trying to keep his patience. He debated just turning off the comm altogether if _this_ was what he would have to deal with. Very distracting for a sniper.

Finally, the fool figured out how to do a direct line to him: “Hanzo, you still there?”

Hanzo crouched down into the light rigging; the high scaffolding gave him a full view of the crowds surrounding the pylon below, whilst simultaneously keeping him hidden in shadow. He could see everyone in the audience, and none of them stood out as much as the cowboy dressed as a lifeguard, entering the main space from under a large stone gate.

Hanzo tapped his earpiece, “Yes. I am here.”

He could see Jesse stop and look around, up high toward ledges, “Where you at? I can’t see you.”

“That is the point.”

The American smiled at the joke. A smile Hanzo found to be simultaneously charming and infuriating.

“Can you see me?” Jesse asked.

“You are most conspicuous.”

Jesse stuck out his tongue. For a man nearing forty he could certainly act like a child.

“So, what I said-“ Jesse pulled him back to their conversation, “It was me, wasn’t it? The nicest thing.”

So blunt. Hanzo’s chest hollowed; regret over getting so drunk the night before and revealing so much. Stooping to Jesse’s level of stupidity. What else could Jesse McCree torment him with now? Throw back in his face like he did yesterday in the arcade? Or in the forest in Akita?

Some clapping and cheering erupted from the front of the audience, and then passed over the crowds like a wave. The opening act was starting.

“This is not the time.”

“It’s just a yes or no.”

Hanzo slipped the comm from the pocket of his hoodie, preparing to cut the line.

“Did you- uh…” In the crowd, Hanzo could see Jesse kicking at the ground, looking almost bashful, “Did you happen to feel a little somethin’ more about me?”

Why did that matter, anyway? That was ten years ago. Furthermore, Hanzo was no longer drunk and no longer willing to give up such information so freely.

“If I said ‘no’ would you stop bothering me?”

\-----

“I know you ain’t a liar…" Jesse replied, "And I feel like ‘no’ is an easy enough answer. But if the answer is ‘yes’-”

What if the answer was yes?

Hanzo gave no response, letting Jesse fill in the space. He remembered seeing Hanzo standing at the open doors in Hanamura the very next morning; the last moment of admiring Hanzo’s beauty before it was revealed that he had discovered _everything_. That Blackwatch had been trying to infiltrate the Shimada home, that Hanzo’s very own brother had been feeding sensitive information to Overwatch through Doctor Angela Ziegler, that they were close to exposing him and his entire family.

Most importantly, that Jesse McCree was a Blackwatch agent, sent specifically to Hanamura to topple Hanzo’s empire.

His throat tickled and he coughed hard. He desperately looked around for a vending machine so he could get a drink.

“Hanzo.” He coughed into the comm, “If you did have feelings for me…”

Then after so gently coaxing Hanzo into such a vulnerable spot, Jesse then threw that trust right back into his face.

He pulled back into the shadows of the Nexus arcade for some privacy as the weight of his realization pressed onto his shoulders.

“Hanzo I-“ He coughed again, fighting with himself over whether or not he should say his next words, “I’m so sorry.”

Hanzo was so quiet on the other end, Jesse wondered if he was even still there. It was possible that Hanzo had muted him. But he carried on anyway.

“I really meant what I said back then. That what you saw on the comm. It-“ Still coughing. Damn hangover drying him out, “It wasn’t like that. I wasn’t seeing you to sabotage you-“ Cough, “-I mean I know that’s ultimately what we were doin’. But me visiting you, like that, it wasn’t to get information about you. I didn’t send anything to back to Blackwatch.”

His cheeks flushed red. He pressed himself against the arcade, wondering if Hanzo could still see him, “I would go to see you because, gosh I’m embarrassed to admit, but you were the damned finest thing I’d ever made fancy with. Poor boy from the country biting off more than he could chew. Never thought someone as rich and powerful and god damn gorgeous as you would give me the time of day.”

And then what happened next? In sadistic revenge, Hanzo had ‘made an example’ of him – sliced off his shooting arm ‘to send back to Reyes and LaCroix. The memory made him shiver. He never thought he might be here, _apologizing_ to that same man.

Still nothing on the other end.

“How is everyone doing tonight?” The opening act was starting. Jesse looked up finding five pretty boys – red, yellow, green, blue, black. Each member seemed to have a different gimmick; red looked like a fiery jock, black like a moody goth. But the one in baby blue stood out to him; a cow-eyed cherub with a round angelic face.

“Usagi!” A girl near him screeched, waving her arms.

Jesse frowned, the name ringing a bell.

The girl was wearing a shirt of the same baby blue color, with the name “Usagi” written in cursive along the top. A cartoon version of Usagi’s gentle face smiling at him from underneath.

Usagi. No. There was just no way.

He tapped his earpiece, “Hanzo. That isn’t the same Usagi that you-?”

Finally, Hanzo replied, “I said many foolish things last night. I should have known better than to share a drink with _you_.”

Jesse was surprised by how much the cruel way Hanzo said ‘you’ stung, especially after such a heartfelt confession.

He shook his head, “Quite liked Hanzo from last night, I’ll admit.”

“You will never enjoy ‘that’ Hanzo again.”

“I’ll take bets on that.”

On stage Usagi was talking about the show and how great it was to be there and all of that. His voice was so soft and pure, so unlike anyone Jesse would guess Hanzo would be interested in. And yet, Hanzo still didn’t deny that this was the very same Usagi he was all bitter about yesterday.

“So you were dating some pop idol pretty boy, huh?” Jesse squinted, trying to get a good look at the dancing fairy-child, “Didn’t think you were into pop music.”

“I am not.”

“Looks a little young.”

“He is older than he looks.”

“Didn’t think he’d be your type.”

“Jesse McCree.” The way that Hanzo sharply enunciated each syllable made his heart skip, “I am keeping my comm line open as it is necessary for us to communicate with one another should something happen. But I will mute you if you insist on carrying on in such a manner.”

After all of that, that’s all he had to say?

Of course, though… It had been ten years since their affair had violently ended. What did Jesse want from this conversation anyway?

“Fine.” Jesse closed the direct line, but he wasn’t feeling great. Despite the dryness in his throat, he absentmindedly reached for a cigarette, forgetting he didn’t have any with him.

He rubbed his head; just focus on finding the others.

Thankfully a man as big as Reinhardt was easy to spot. Standing by another entrance to the arcade were Reinhardt, Genji, and Tracer. Reinhardt and Genji were both fully armored, but surprisingly less outlandish than some of the other audience members, such as Lena – who was sporting some punk get up, complete with radioactive goggles and black lipstick. She waved him over, “’bout time you showed up!”

“Yeah, sorry, just had to make a call.”

Lena raised her brow, “Yeah? Sounds like your conversation with Hanzo last night was _pretty_ intimate, love!”

Oh god. He had forgotten that first part was broadcasted to all of them. He rubbed his head, a pretty strong migraine setting in, “Just don’t ask.”

Genji handed him a can of soda, “This should help with the hangover.”

“Thank god for that.” Jesse eagerly accepted it, “What I miss?”

\-------

Hanzo watched Jesse catch up with his cyborg brother, while his former lover pranced around the stage singing about love and friendship. Below him crowds of humans and omnics intermingled, all wearing eccentric costumes, waving glowsticks, faces painted with fluorescence, dancing like fools.

How did he end up here?

He took a deep breath, selfishly hoping Talon would interrupt if it meant this spectacle would end. All of this time, money, and mental capacity spent on a brief comment from an old man in the woods. He could be in Australia now hunting down the filthy junk rats but instead he was here playing Superman with a giant, a time traveler, a robot, and a wannabe cowboy.

As if on cue, the talking animal patched in, “Winston reporting in; is everyone in position now?”

McCree’s drawl, “All accounted for.”

Winston: “We still haven’t received any information regarding a possible Talon attack, or any response from our warnings. This might just be an easy vacation for you all.”

How embarrassing. Among all the circus clowns, Hanzo was turning out to be the ringleader.

Regardless, the others kept their blind optimism - Lena: “Better that than a Talon attack! Really enjoying the music too – whoo!”

Reinhardt grunted, “An orchestra would’ve been better than this poppy stuff.”

Hanzo couldn’t help but agree – heck, maybe even Jesse’s country music would be better than having to watch his ex-boyfriend perform music that he despised.

Suddenly something caught his eye. Was it… smoke?

He moved across the rigging closer toward the Reign of the Black King, being careful to stay hidden. It was hard to discern the shadowy fog against the dark stones of the ratty cathedral, but it was definitely smoke.

He tapped his earpiece, “Everyone.”

“What’s up?” Lena responded.

“Smoke by the Reign of the Black King.”

“Smoke?”

“Yes, but I do not see a fire it seems to be-“ …Moving?

Sure enough, like some kind of a phantom, the smoke moved out from the shadows, across the space toward the crowd and disappeared.

“Hanzo?” Lena pressed.

“It’s gone now.”

The American drawl, “Sure you weren’t seein’ things? I know you drank about as much as me.” He gulped something, neglecting to turn off his comm while doing so, “Sure it’s not messin’ with your head?”

A list of insults poured into Hanzo’s head, but Winston cut in, “That sounds like it could be Reaper. Perhaps Genji and McCree could check it out?”

“Understood.” Genji answered quickly.

From where he was, Hanzo could see that Jesse looked concerned, but he reluctantly followed behind the cyborg.

The crowd began cheering. Hanzo returned his attention to the performance just as the Brazilian DJ named ‘Lucio’ skated out on stage. He skidded up to a set of turntables and asked, “Y’all ready for this?”

Then the music started. The rigging rattled from the bass drop, causing Hanzo to check his footing. The crowd lost it. He could see that Jesse and Genji were struggling to fight their way through, but they eventually made it to the other side and began looking around.

He kept a close eye on them, nocking an arrow in case the shadow reappeared and-

Wait. Was Jesse holding a… water gun?

He lowered his arrow and rolled his eyes, wondering how it was possible for one person to be so ridiculous.

The song ended and Lucio grabbed a mic, “Hellooooooo So-Cal!”

The crowd screamed in response.

“-And it is _lovely_ to be here! We’ve got one great show coming at you tonight. But first, we’re gonna take it down low and I’m going to hand over the mic to a  _very special_ friend of mine!”

There were curious murmurs from the audience – a surprise guest? The lights on the rigging suddenly dropped. Hanzo ducked down too, to prevent being seen.

A feminine voice gently sang out through the speakers. Lucio added music behind as she sang out a love song. The speakers began glowing a dim yellow, not unlike a biotic emitter, and the space began filling with a warm sensation.

“This is gonna make you feel good!” Lucio said in between verses.

A spotlight suddenly lit up the center of the pylon. Standing in front of it was a young girl in a purple and pink body suit. The crowd erupted again as she stepped forward and the bass dropped.

Reinhardt excitedly shouted over the line: “IT IS HANA SONG!”

McCree: “Damn, Reinhardt, what were you tellin’ me ‘bout shoutin’ earlier?”

Reinhardt: “I AM SORRY, MCCREE! BUT IT IS D.VA! IT IS ACTUALLY HER!”

Lena: “Aw yeah! Emily’s _really_ going to be jealous now!”

McCree: “Who?”

Genji: “I know her. She is a MEKA-soldier from Korea.”

That little girl? A MEKA-soldier? Sure enough, next to the pylon was her mech suit on display for all to see.

Lena: “And a pro-gamer. You should watch her channel sometime!”

She reached out toward the hands of audience members, touching humans and omnics alike. The song was having an odd effect over him. His heart beat slowed. For a moment, he wasn’t so bothered by the omnics in the crowd. His eyes wandered back to Genji. Jesse and Genji had paused their search and were swaying together arm and arm with everyone else in the crowd, singing along. Normally that would upset him, but right now it almost warmed his heart.

He thought of Jesse’s apology; _“I’m so sorry.”_

The apology almost felt satisfying, and yet he remembered waking up the next morning, finding Jesse’s comm, reading Reyes’s smug messages, having his men drag Jesse from his bed into the foyer, pulling his sword from its sheath.

Jesse had put up a fight, straining against Hanzo’s men, trying to tug himself away. He had looked at Hanzo with such a look of hurt. But Hanzo hardened his heart, and quietly approached, inspecting his blade.

_“You’re left handed, aren’t you?”_

He covered his face, nearly falling back into the rigging. What was this music _doing_ to him? The sickening yellow waves… He wanted it to simply _end_ already.

But the torment continued. He crumpled into the rigging as the flashback carried on to Jesse’s screaming, his men shoving the bloodied stump into the fire pit to cauterize the fresh wound until Jesse passed out from the pain.

And then, when he was finished, Hanzo turned against his own brother.

The song ended on a happy note and the crowd cheered. Hanzo was left gasping for breath. The voices of the others floated to him from his Overwatch earpiece, sounding oddly distant.

Reinhardt: “Perhaps pop music isn't so bad.”

Lena: “Oh, _now_ you’re interested!”

McCree: “That felt damn nice, like one of Angela’s healing streams… Don’t feel hungover at all anymore!”

Winston: “Really? Is it possible he is using the same tech?”

Hanzo was confused. It made the others feel _good_? How?

Lucio skated out from behind his disc-jockey set and gave Hana a friendly hug. She waved to the audience, “ _Annyeong!_ ”

The grip on his heart was beginning to subside. A cool breeze kicked up, chilling his neck and face. Hanzo relished in the chill, ignoring what was happening on stage and in the audience. That was until the conversation between the two celebrities turned to human omnic relations.

Hana explained in a sad voice, “Busan, my home, is a shadow of what it was once. The destruction caused by the omnics there…” She paused, as if lost in some dark memory, “It is why I fight.”

A hush fell over the crowd. This was a controversial topic, especially with this many omnics present. He glanced over to Genji, who was leaning in toward the stage.

“But I am not afraid. I pray for a day when we can find peace between humans and omnics!”

She was met with cheers from the audience. Hanzo rolled his eyes. They were all so young and naive. She invited an omnic up on stage and opened her arms to give it a hug. And then – black smoke.

Hanzo stood up as the smoke reappeared in the darkness behind the pylon. He noticed a woman there too. How had he not seen her? Purple hexagons flickered in front of her face and her fingers tapped – a hacker? The hexagons flashed and at the same time the omnic on stage jolted.

But Lucio and Hana didn’t notice. The young girl approached the omnic and Hanzo realized what was about to happen.

\-------

McCree was lost in the moment, like everyone else around him, when the arrow whistled over the audience and buried itself in the omnic’s head.

Genji and him stood there dumbfounded, as did most of the crowd. Then some people started to scream. Jesse stared at the arrow, knowing exactly _who_ it came from. Reinhardt was the first to break the silence, “HANZO!” He shouted, “DID YOU JUST-“

“The omnic was hacked.” Hanzo’s voice cut in, “Behind the pylon, there is-“ He suddenly cut out.

Jesse tapped his earpiece, “Hanzo? Hanzo!”

The people around them were beginning to get a little frantic. Lucio and Hana were tending to the struck omnic, as concert staff took over, directing people toward the exits. There was a crash from overhead, and Jesse looked up just in time to see Hanzo swing down from light scaffolding. A tall woman stood on the scaffolding and aimed her gun at him. Jesse recognized her from Tracer’s description.

Widowmaker.

She unloaded a clip through the crowd, following the archer who disappeared behind some vendors.

Chaos ensued, the crowds scattering around frantically. With some kind of grappling hook, Widowmaker swung herself toward the Reign of the Black King, presumably following Hanzo.

“What’s going on?” Winston called in over the group line, “Were those gunshots?”

Jesse tapped his earpiece, “Just caught sight of Widowmaker. She’s isolating Hanzo. I’m going after them.” He ran toward the cathedral.

“McCree! Your top priority now is to protect the civilians!”

McCree ignored him, running into the darkness. Behind him he could hear people screaming, but before him was silence.

He searched around for any sign of either sniper. Could they see him?

“Hanzo!” He shouted, his voice echoing around the walls. He would make sure they _could_ see him. If Widowmaker was looking at _him_ she wouldn’t be looking at Hanzo. But the only sign of movement was a gentle breeze waving a rotting flag over his head.

Meanwhile the others were barking over his earpiece-

Winston: “McCree! I can see you are not with the others!“

Tracer: “Well, I’m not seeing any Talon anywhere!”

Reinhardt: “DON’T WORRY ABOUT THAT! JUST FOCUS ON GETTING PEOPLE-“

The comm suddenly went silent. He tapped his earpiece, “Hey- Hey!?”

Nothing.

He pulled the handheld from his pocket – it was black with a little purple skull smiling back at him.

“Little sheep running from the herd-” A woman sang from the shadows, playful, “Watch out for the big bad wolf.”

“I ain’t afraid of no wolves.” McCree pointed his gun in the direction he thought the voice came from.

“ _Hola, Ma-Cree_.” She materialized, “If that is your real name.”

Her face was painted, but he recognized her from the little bar just outside the border: like a snake, she had waited until he was good and drunk before slithering over, demanding information. Despite being inebriated he was able to fight her off and get away.

With a wave of her fingers, a holographic image appeared between them – it was a website, a blog for a Western-film critic by the name of Joel Morricone, “I’ll admit, it was difficult, but I was finally able to get some dirt on you.”

Alright. He was a _little_ embarrassed. But he could play it cool. He straightened his posture, “Well, I don’t know what you heard, but my name’s not Joel.” He nodded, “Best remember that.”

“Is that so?” She tapped her fingers on the screen, pulling up an opinion piece with a picture of the Rikimaru ramen shop, “A fan of yours then? Knows an awful lot about you.”

Jesse smiled, hands on his hips, acting humble, “Always respect a fan of my work.”

And then she began reading it aloud: “The scent of gunsmoke mingled with the aroma of gyoza following yesterday’s thwarted ramen shop robbery attempt-“

He fired his gun but she disappeared in a flash of purple. He could hear her laughing from somewhere deep in the cathedral, “That wasn’t very nice!”

“Alright. Fine.” Jesse shouted into the darkness, “It’s just a hobby of mine!”

The hacker clicked her tongue, “ _Qu_ _é triste._ ”

He was now hoping that Hanzo _wasn’t_ hearing or seeing this. He tried to swallow his embarrassment, “What the hell kind of game are you playing?”

“Who are the ones playing games?” Her voice echoed around, “It was cute, how you tried to warn the authorities. Your computer is outdated, you need to learn how to encrypt messages better.”

The insult to Athena felt like a personal affront, “So you knew we were coming all along?”

“ _S_ _í, se_ _ñor._ ”

That explained why they had never received any responses to their warnings – maybe their messages were never delivered.

She carried on, “Didn’t think _you’d_ join up with Overwatch after our little rendezvous. Don’t seem like a team player.”

Jesse spun around in the dark, trying to follow her voice from the shadows, “Could say the same for you little miss – you working for Talon then?”

He was just trying to keep the conversation going while he could formulate a plan. There were plenty of places he could hide around here, but still no sign of Hanzo. The excitement from the crowds behind wasn’t dying down – he had no idea if there were more agents out there or if his friends were under fire.

“A girl’s gotta get a paycheck.”

She was pulling him deeper in to the darkness – an obvious trap but he decided to bite, hoping maybe he could find Hanzo somewhere in there, “Getting paid to give a old man a hard time?”

“Event planning, actually.” Her voice had moved again, back behind him, “Today we’re having a family reunion.”

“Family reunion?” He stopped, trying to connect the dots, “Shimada family…?”

A powerful gunshot thundered through the cathedral. Instinctively he dove out of the open into a side area. The gun shot was followed by the sound of wood clattering to the floor, then Hanzo dropped down from god knew where, his quiver and arrows destroyed.

Hanzo hissed something to himself, scrutinizing the broken arrows scattered around him, looking between them and his bow. Then three figures dove at him from the darkness – were they _ninjas_?

They sure as hell were; clad in black, thin and agile, swooping in from the shadows of the cathedral with as much grace, if not more, than Genji. Without his arrows, Hanzo engaged with them in melee combat and it was… incredible.

Jesse realized he had never actually _seen_ Hanzo fight, had only heard of it second hand. He knew he should be jumping in to help, but he sat there astounded, watching one man take on three with inhuman capability.

One of the ninjas would charge in but with a quick change of position, Hanzo was able to use her own momentum against her, throwing her past or hurling her over his body. With a quick sweep of his hand, and slide from his feet, he could deflect an attack then use one of their very own weapon against them. Jesse had seen a lot of fighters in his day, but none as skilled... Not even Reyes. Although, with three clamoring at him, he was struggling to incapacitate them, and clearly they were highly skilled – not some bumbling Talon agents like the ones they encountered in Akita. Still, Hanzo was giving them a considerable challenge. His quick reactions and precise movement… It was hard to believe it wasn’t choreographed.

Jesse was beginning to realize how _much_ Hanzo had let him in. All of those times Jesse had grabbed him or gotten up in his face, even pointed a gun at him. He was only able to do that because Hanzo _let_ him _._

Jesse’s stupor was broken when Sombra spoke to him over his comm, “I’m surprised you haven’t jumped in it.”

“Oh yeah?” He muttered under his breath, pulling Peacekeeper from her holster, “And what the hell are _you_ doing then besides babysitting me?”

And then he saw her, Amelie LaCroix – or at least, what _used_ to be Amelie – standing above the fight on a crumbling tower in the middle of the massive cathedral hall. It hurt enough to hear the news from Lena of what had become of their beloved friend.

It was a whole new heartbreak to witness her in person.

Her skin was blue, her dark hair tied back into a sharp high ponytail, her long legs looked less like a graceful dancer's and more like a spider's. Her eyes were devoid of any emotion as she scoured the cathedral. Jesse quickly ducked back into his hiding place, lest he be seen.

“Ha ha!” Sombra laughed over his earpiece, “She scares me too, _amigo!_ ”

Jesse wrenched out the earpiece so Sombra would quit bothering him. Quickly he assessed the situation; how the hell was he meant to shoot three ninjas hopping around like that? Just stunning one would be a feat all on it’s own. Not too mention, Amelie would just shoot him down the moment he tried stepping out in the open.

But he was a good shot. A damn good shot.

He took a deep breath. Hadn’t used _that_ trick in a long time, and it was not one he cared to use anymore. But it was clear that Hanzo wasn’t going to win this fight – caught in a stalemate, they would keep duking it out until someone got tired, and Hanzo was outnumbered one to four.

His eyelids flickered, re-accessing the old cybernetics.

 _“Just some eye enhancements.”_ Gabe had told him.

Warming up, his vision began to turn red. He never liked the new eyes – Jesse McCree believed in giving a fair fight. And this? Well it simply wasn’t fair. It was cold blooded. But at least it was quick.

He gripped Peacekeeper firmly, swallowing hard, then stood up to-

Purple hexagons flashed across his field of vision, then with a click the program shut down and little purple skulls floated around his peripherals. Sombra appeared in front of him, waggling her finger. He pointed his gun at her, but she pointed to her ear then disappeared.

Angrily, Jesse put the earpiece back in, “What?” He hissed quietly.

“You think I’m just gonna to let you run in? Hanzo is some good money, McCree!”

He tapped his earpiece, “Didn’t think you were so motivated by money.”

“You’re right. I’m not. I’m more interested in information. In fact, perhaps we can strike a deal…”

McCree was about to tell her that he didn’t make deals with the devil, but behind him was the sound of glass shattering. Hanzo was consumed in a cloud of smoke, causing him to stumble into a coughing fit. The ninjas quickly seized the opportunity, wrenching his hands behind him and kicking him to the ground.

He was running out of time, “Alright. Start talkin’.”

“Give me your personalized Overwatch pin, and I’ll give you your eyes back.”

McCree snorted, “I thought you said our computer is outdated. Surely you’ve already gotten your grubby little hands in there.”

“Tick tock, McCree. You’re running out of time~”

The smoke was dissipating. Hanzo was being held down, his arms firmly tied behind his back. The three ninjas surrounded him, even Widowmaker dropped down to join them, giving Hanzo a smug look, “So much for a sniper…” Her voice was cold, and so painfully familiar.

The ninja with the pink scarf spoke up, “Send Doomfist our thanks. We’ve been trying to catch him for years.”

The three ninjas began speaking together in Japanese. Sombra accessed Overwatch's real-time translation program. The mic in his earpiece recorded their voices and repeated back to him in English, even mimicking the exact sound and intonation of the speaker's voice. It was one of Overwatch’s most highly advanced tech, but one he never cared to use much.

Clearly Sombra was trying to pressure him.

“Don’t know why it’s been so long!” Blue scarf scoffed, the earpiece made her voice sound almost like a valley girl, “Not like the old man could put up a fight!”

Hanzo glared back at blue scarf, but kept his mouth shut.

Green scarf, however, kicked Hanzo in the gut, causing him to roll onto his back. Then she placed her boot firmly on his chest, “Did Sakura specify that we had to bring him back _alive_?” Her tone was particularly gruff.

Blue scarf huffed, “Why do you have to kill all of our new toys before we have a chance to play?” She swatted at green scarf before pink scarf broke them up, “Girls.” Pink scolded, “Sakura gave us explicit orders that we had to return him in _one piece._ ”

The two others backed off as the clear leader in the pink scarf took over. She pulled what appeared to be a set of nun chucks from her belt, but with a flick of her wrist they attached together into one long strange weapon – a spear?

“However,” She pointed the blade at Hanzo’s neck, “It will be much easier to transport him were he dead.”

“Dammit,” Jesse spat, tapping his earpiece. He had no time to think, “The pin is 1952.”

There was a pause, then laughter, “I could’ve guessed that! The year of Joel’s favorite film? Ha ha ha!”

“Jesus Christmas - You have the pin! Now let me-“ In an instant the purple haze vanished and the red was back. Quickly he moved from his hiding spot and saw the familiar white targets hovering over their heads, just as the pink ninja pressed the blade against Hanzo’s neck.

Amelie and the green scarf noticed him, but it was too late.

BANG – BANG – BANG – BANG!

The three ninjas went down, but Amelie he missed. Quickly she pulled herself back up into the rafters. Normally he would curse himself for failing to hit, but this time he was a little thankful he missed.

Hanzo was startled, and he watched baffled as the pink ninja fell forward, collapsing into his chest. Jesse rushed in, trying to ignore the blood pouring from the girl’s head shot.

“Jesse?” Hanzo gasped.

“Heh. Yeah. It’s me.” Jesse smiled awkwardly, helping Hanzo sit up, pushing the corpse aside with a hasty shove. Who was she? How old was she? What was her name? His nerves were on fire, causing him to speak fast and stumble over words, “We gotta go. Amelie -no. _Widowmaker_.” He untied Hanzo’s hands, “She’s-. She’s up there somewhere. And we gotta- The others. They-“

He stopped when black smoke began pooling around them.

Hanzo frowned, “Jesse?”

Behind Hanzo the black smoke swirled together, as if alive. Hanzo covered his nose, “What is that smell?”

But Jesse was speechless as a shrouded man appeared behind Hanzo, wielding two shotguns.

“Ingrate.” The shadow growled, before firing directly into his chest.

Should’ve worn his armor. Shouldn’t’ve dressed up as some silly lifeguard.

The last thing he remembered was Hanzo’s look of shock, sitting just beneath the mask of the Reaper, before fading out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading. :)
> 
> A side note - the ninjas mention "Sakura", she is a character from a short story I wrote which you can read here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/13661160
> 
> Also, the three ninjas are, unashamedly, based on the powerpuff girls. AH HA HA HA HA! I swear I am a serious writer.


	6. Bullet in the Chest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes barely make it back to Gibraltar - and with two new heroes in tow! However tensions are still high, especially when Sombra tells Jesse something very interesting about Hanzo.

“The omnic was hacked. Behind the pylon, there is-“

She appeared so quickly, Hanzo barely had time to react. He grabbed one of the stage lights and hurled it between them before leaping down from the rigging. Widowmaker rattled off her assault rifle, chasing him down as he dodged behind some vendors.

Quickly he made way into the dark safety of the cathedral. Inside, he climbed up onto the second floor balcony. The other Overwatch heroes were shouting over his earpiece – with a quick tap he muted them, readied his bow, and waited.

Her slender silhouette appeared at the entrance, casting a long shadow before her, “I see you,” Widowmaker almost sang, “Do you see me?”

He fired an arrow at her as a response, and with no hesitation she shot her grappling hook to his position. He stumbled back, surprised another sniper would pull in so close. She aimed her gun at him, and he an arrow at her, but neither fired. They stood there, staring each other down.

From below he could hear Jesse shout, “Hanzo!”

Was Jesse chasing after him? The idiot. Did he have any idea how much danger he was putting himself in?

Hanzo did not dare to look away from Widowmaker though, not even blinking, sure that would cause her to pull the trigger. The two snipers waited for the other to make the first move. Below he could hear Jesse talking with someone.

“You hesitate…” Hanzo finally said.

“As do you.” She smiled, “Perhaps you remember our offer?”

“I told you I have nothing to gain from such an arrangement.”

“Nothing to gain?” She raised her brow, then gave a low, purring chuckle, “Talon could restore your family’s empire.”

He clutched his bow tighter, the arrow digging into his fingers. He knew it was true – that which he desired most could be obtained with them.

Down below he heard a gun shot. His eyes flickered as he nearly pulled them away to see if Jesse was okay.

She noticed, “Oh Hanzo, your emotions make you vulnerable.” She slid her hand down the barrel of her rifle, “Surely you know better.”

He _did_ know better. He knew what Talon had done to _her_ – robbed of all emotion, a heart beat so slow her blood could barely reach her flesh.

“I know Talon can give me what I want… But at what cost?” He asked, perhaps more to himself than her.

“Is that a ‘no’ then?” Her hand stopped sliding.

“Are you trying to threaten me?"

“You are a beautiful man. You’d be an even more beautiful corpse.”

He smirked, “I would wager my bow against your rifle any day.”

“That would be the last mistake you ever made.”

“Try me.” He released his arrow.

She fired her gun.

He dodged, unsure if he hit his mark. But _she_ certainly hit something. The quiver on his back exploded, as did all of his arrows inside. They rained down before him as he jumped to the ground.

He grabbed at some of the broken arrows, desperately searching for at least one that wasn’t damaged, cursing to himself.

And then _they_ appeared from the shadows: _Shimada-gumi._

Despite being dressed entirely in black, he recognized the trio instantly. Three sisters recruited by the clan to assassinate him. This was not his first run in with them, but he wasn’t expecting to see them _here_.

Hina, with her pink scarf, was the first to engage, nun chucks in hand, followed quickly by the more brutish Tsuchida armed with her brass knuckles. Hanzo was quickly able to roll Hina over his back, causing her to collide against Tsuchida. Then with Stormbow, he knocked back the third, Yuki, but not enough to incapacitate her.

Hanzo did his best with just Storm Bow, but it was clear this could carry on until they got tired. His tattoo burned, the dragons begging to be unleashed, but without an arrow to hone their raw power, doing so would consume _all_ of them.

He had neglected to remember Widowmaker. He stepped right into one of her poison traps and the sisters stole the opportunity to kick him down and tie him up.

He was on his knees, coughing from the poison. Through watery eyes he could just make out Widowmaker’s high heels as she walked up.

“So much for a sniper…” She mused.

His arrow was sticking rather grotesquely from her shoulder, but it didn’t seem to bother her. She wasn’t even bleeding.

The three girls were delighted over their catch. Standing over him they discussed what they were going to do with him, kicking him around a bit too. All the while, Widowmaker watched without blinking, as if waiting for him to just say it: _“Fine. I’ll join you.”_

He was about ready to give up too as Hina pressed the blade of her _naginata_ against his throat. Talon would give him what he wanted… So why was he resisting?

BANG – BANG – BANG – BANG!

Hanzo scrambled like a frightened cat he was so startled. Hina toppled over, as did her sisters. A lifeguard rushed up to him. It took Hanzo a second to remember, “Jesse?”

“Heh. Yeah. It’s me.” Jesse smiled awkwardly.

Hanzo was speechless as Jesse fumbled with the ties on his wrists. Did he just head shot all of them? _All at once?_ How was that even possible?

Suddenly, Jesse’s babbling cut short and his face went blank, “Jesse?” Hanzo tried, but the gunslinger didn’t seem to hear. Then came an overwhelming smell of rot.

Hanzo nearly gagged and quickly covered his mouth and nose with his freed hands, “What is that smell?”

A phantom behind answered; “Ingrate.”

Two shotguns fired at both sides of his head. Hanzo grabbed his ears, immediately going deaf. Jesse’s chest exploded in front of him, blood splattering against his face. Hanzo watched the cowboy fall back, blood filling that atrocious Hawaiian shirt, blotting out the palm trees and beach sunset like black ink.

For a moment he was too shocked to react. The world became dark, soundless, and smelled like death. The gun was smoking next to him. Animal instinct forced him to move. _Move_ or be shot next.

Hanzo grabbed the guns. The phantom behind him struggled against Hanzo’s grip in a silent battle. Hanzo’s head throbbed, but the sight of blood pooling on Jesse’s chest fueled his fury.

He tore the guns from Reaper’s hands and grabbed his bow. In a swift motion he jumped to his feet, swiveled around, and smacked Storm Bow across Reaper’s face.

The mask flew off, and black bile spewed forth. The stench grew stronger. Revealed was the face of an actual ghoul; rotting eyes, flesh hanging off bone, rot and filth mixing together with hair and skin. Particularly odd was a gaping fractured hole in the middle of Reaper’s forehead, as if he had been shot.

Hanzo hesitated, taken aback by its ugliness.

Reaper glared back at him with blood red eyes. His mouth moved, saying something, but Hanzo was still stone cold deaf… It was also impossible to read the man’s lips, as they weren’t really _lips_ as much as broken flesh stretched across rotting teeth.

He spotted Widowmaker on the tower above, aiming her gun at him. He was starting to realize that they both weren’t going to make it out. He looked to Jesse, feeling guilt. He had brought Jesse here. Jesse had come to save him… All for nothing.

_“Poor boy from the country biting off more than he could chew.”_

Suddenly he _heard_ something; a deep vibration under foot. Then a muffled: “ _Enemy spotted!”_

Missiles soared toward Widowmaker from somewhere behind him. He could just make out the violent sound of them striking the tower. Widowmaker jumped away in time to avoid the worst of it. The ground around his feet began turning yellow and suddenly Hanzo’s hearing was racing back to him, cheerful music filling the cathedral.

He gasped, hearing his own breath. There was a loud mechanical whirr and a purple MEKA suit flew past him, charging toward Reaper, “I’m gonna shoot you down!” Hana’s peppy voice rattled from the MEKA.

“Wait for me!” Tracer raced after D.Va, with Genji not too far behind her.

Reaper was scrambling as the three charged at him. He returned the mask to his face then dissipated into smoke, receding into the cathedral.

“You’re not getting away!” Tracer snapped blinking after the smoke. D.Va too hit her thrusters and followed along behind.

Hanzo just stood there amazed. They _all_ just saved him.

_Heroes._

“Gabe!” Jesse cried out from the floor.

Hanzo’s attention quickly turned back to McCree. Hanzo dropped to his side as Jesse tried sitting up.

“Stay down.” Hanzo ordered, afraid he’d lose more blood. Jesse was somehow conscious, but clearly not all there. He had a crazed look in his eye, and he coughed up blood, “What did she do to him!? Gabe!”

The music got louder as Lucio skated up, “What’s up? -Whoa! What happened to _him?_ ”

Hanzo threw off his hoodie, bunching it up and using it to pressure the wound. Jesse writhed under him; it no doubt hurt.

“Do not just stand there gawking! He needs a doctor!”

Lucio put up his hands defensively, “Okay okay!” With a swish of his hand the music volume increased. Somehow, the blood pouring out of Jesse’s chest lessened.

Reinhardt stomped up, out of breath, “I’m not as young as I used to be!”

Then he took a look at McCree and shook his head, “How many times have we told you not to go off by yourself?”

Tracer appeared next to him, followed by Genji and D.Va.

“Definitely Reaper and Widowmaker.” Tracer reported, “Lost sight of ‘em. Think we scared ‘em off.”

Lucio glanced back over his shoulder, “Y’all better get outta here before security shows up. You’re part of Overwatch, aren’t you?”

Tracer gave him a salute, “At your service!”

“Damn!” Lucio was grinning from ear to ear, he grabbed at his head like it was about to explode, “So the rumors _are_ true! Overwatch really _is_ back!”

Tracer put a finger to her mouth, “Would really appreciate you being a bit quieter about it, love.”

“Don’t worry, man! My lips are sealed!” Lucio mimicked zipping his lips.

Meanwhile, Jesse was still injured and gargling nonsense about _Gabe_ and someone called Moira? Hanzo was getting angry; how could they speak of such banal things while _Jesse was bleeding out in front of them?_ Thankfully Hana matched his concern:

“He’s looking pretty messed up.” She said, “There is a MEKA jet out back. One of my doctors can take care of him.”

_Perfect. Let’s go._

But the others hesitated, looking to her nervously.

Hana giggled, “Don’t worry. We can keep everything secret. After all, I’m a big fan!”

Reinhardt squeaked, “A fan!”

Jesse was starting to lose consciousness.

“I apologize for speaking out of turn.” Hanzo said stiffly, the others looked to him surprised, as if they had forgotten he was there, “But we have little time for questioning if Jesse McCree is to come out of this _alive._ ”

Tracer bit her lip. Reinhardt nodded his head. But Genji just stood there with his arms folded. The robot’s empty green gaze just stared back at him; like a neon void.

Genji returned his attention to D.Va, “How many people would be involved? A doctor, a pilot?”

“Look, dude-“ Hana started, sounding impatient, “Do you want a doctor or not?”

There were still many unanswered questions, but there were also voices coming from the entrance of the cathedral. They were about to be exposed.

“Alright!” Reinhardt suddenly pulled Jesse out from under him; Hanzo nearly fell on his face. Reinhardt rather carelessly threw Jesse over his shoulder and started racing off toward the back of the cathedral, “Let’s go!”

\------

Jesse McCree felt like he was waking up from a bad dream. As he slowly came too he recognized the dingy infirmary at Gibraltar, with its rusty walls and cold steel furnishings. He wasn’t alone; in the room with him was an expectant audience; Lena, a doctor he didn’t recognize… Lucio and Hana Song?

“How ya doin’ big guy?” Lena’s face came in a _little_ too close.

He responded to Lena with a pained groan, “What happened?” He was just able to manage.

“You got shot, big guy.” Lena gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder.

Heavy weight pressed into his chest. Oh yeah. He’d been shot point blank. Christ Almighty did it ache. The memories were coming back; he remembered untying Hanzo. The smell of rot. Reaper materializing-

 _“Ingrate._ ”

He cringed at the terrible memory; it _wasn’t_ a nightmare.

“Yeah… I remember that…” Jesse grumbled, rubbing his eyes as if he was trying to erase the memory from them.

He couldn’t unsee it though; the white mask, black smoke, Hanzo’s shocked face covered in blood and surrounded in darkness…

That’s when it occurred to him; what happened to Hanzo?

He sat up in bed, “Where the hell is Hanzo?” He almost shouted.

“I am right here.” A harsh voice replied.

Jesse’s heart fluttered, spotting the archer leaning against the windowsill. _He’s okay._ The two locked eyes, before Hanzo stubbornly looked away.

Lucio spoke up, matching Lena’s energy, “After the audience cleared out we came looking for you. Found you in a pretty bad way, man!”

Lena jutted a thumb over to the pop star, “This kid saved your _life_ Jess!”

“Excuse me!” Hana interrupted indignantly, “It was _my_ doctor who took care of that.” She pointed a finger gun at his chest and winked, “You’re welcome!”

To his left was a doctor. She was Korean, but the way she wore her hair, the look in her eye, even the way she smiled was awfully reminiscent of Ziegler.

“Uh… Thank you.”

“ _Anibnida.”_ She replied cheerfully.

So were these three working with Overwatch now? Did the UN find out about their activity? What the hell happened after the concert? And what about Reaper?

His head throbbed as he tried to prioritize which questions to ask first: “What day is it?”

Lena stole glances with Hana and Lucio before saying, “It’s uh… May 5th.”

A week. He was out for a week. This doctor may have been good, but clearly she was no Ziegler. He pressed his palms into his eyes, “Christ… Got any whiskey?”

Hana and Lucio both gasped; “Eh!?” - “Say what?”

Lena laughed, “Glad to hear you’re feeling fine.”

Hanzo wordlessly moved from the windowsill toward the door. The others didn’t notice. Jesse wanted to call out to him, but he wasn’t sure what to say. Hanzo exited while the others filled him in on what happened, how Lucio and D.Va had jumped into action, first helping the audience leave, then storming into the cathedral and rescuing Jesse and Hanzo. After jetting everyone away from Blizzard World, Lucio and Hana were helping cover up Overwatch’s involvement but ‘the rumors were flying!’. Jesse just nodded along, acting like he was following, but he was distracted; for some reason he couldn’t stop thinking about Hanzo.

The look on Hanzo’s face, covered in his own blood, suffocating in Reaper’s smoke was like a dark blotch in his vision. What happened after he blacked out?

\--------

“Even if they fix him, he’ll never be the same.” The heartbroken British girl wept on screen, standing outside a courthouse for a press conference. Dressed in black, she dabbed at her eyes while her lawyer wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder, handing her a tissue.

The news cut back to the reporter, “That was Eve’s reaction to the promise from MEKA soldier Hana Song to repair her omnic boyfriend, known to his friends as ‘Neo’. So far Neo is the only known casualty from the Blizzard World incident.”

In his hospital bed, Jesse shoveled ice cream into his mouth. Only known casualty, huh? Someone must have cleaned up the Shimada ninjas… Or their presence was being kept a secret.

The news report cut to a shaky cellphone video of the concert, a warning stretched across the bottom warning viewers of ‘disturbing content’. Hana invited the omnic on stage then- CRUNCH! Hanzo’s arrow launched from nowhere and buried into its head.

“Eve has filed a lawsuit against Blizzard World and the Synaethesia record label for poor security. Rather unfortunate for the pop star ‘Lucio’ and MEKA soldier Song, who both claim the concert was an effort to help the relationship between humans and omnics.” The reporter turned to her right, where an omnic reporter was ready to respond:

“Indeed, conspiracy theories _are flying_. Along with theories that the omnic’s death was _planned,_ witnesses claim to have seen both Talon and Overwatch agents present at the concert. Is there an underground war brewing?”

Jesse scooped his ice cream, pondering everything. He hadn’t had a chance to leave the infirmary yet but he could tell that tensions were high in Gibraltar. Lucio and Hana were on board as the newest recruits, but they came with a lot of people – agents, assistants, and the like - who could easily spill the beans. On the other hand, having that many people was useful in cleaning up after their messes.

And then there was Hanzo. The one who dragged them into Blizzard World. The one who shot the omnic. They hadn’t forced him out of Gibraltar, but it was clear they weren’t exactly pleased with him.

"Guess that makes two of us." Jesse muttered.

Without warning, the door slid open.

Jesse jumped to find the devil himself standing there. Hanzo looked him over – Jesse curled over a gallon of ice cream with some of it dripping down his face – then rolled his eyes.

Jesse was half expecting Hanzo to turn around and leave, but instead the assassin walked over to him and stopped next to the bed, arms folded. Jesse noticed he had lost the hoodie, but the dark blue shirt with some gnarled band logo across the chest was no less edgy, a shirt bound so tightly over his muscles it was threatening to rip apart. The dragon tattoo Jesse so fondly remembered teased out from Hanzo’s left sleeve, all claws and fang swirling around an arm that could easily strangle you to death. And god damn. His _hair was down_ – silky strands of ebony casting menacing shadows across his face.

The way Hanzo was glaring down at him made Jesse’s heart beat just a little faster. He wondered how Hanzo could simultaneously look so much like a thug and so much like a king.

Jesse gulped the glob of ice cream in his mouth, “Hanzo?” He practically squeaked.

Hanzo’s eyes narrowed, “I suppose I should thank you…”

“Thank me?”

“You saved me. Again.”

Jesse could feel his blush creeping to his neck, “Oh gee… It was nothing, hun.”

 _Hun?_ Where did _that_ come from?

“It was not ‘nothing’.” Hanzo leaned in, looking deeply into Jesse’s eyes. Jesse pressed back up against the wall and shuffled his feet nervously.  He could feel Hanzo’s hand pressing into the mattress. It made his already aching chest go hollow.

“How did you _do_ that?” Hanzo asked, “You shot Hina, Tsuchida, and Yuki all at once-”

Oh god. Now he knew their names.

“-Do you have enhancements?”

Jesse swallowed, his eyes darting between Hanzo’s. The man was so close he could see that his eyes weren’t actually _that_ dark – more a hazy orange. He suddenly remembered coming to this same realization while they were lying in bed together once.

“Yeah.” He cleared his throat, trying not to crumple under Hanzo’s intense gaze, “I got enhancements from Blackwatch. I don’t like ‘em.”

Hanzo frowned, “That is dangerous. Someone could tamper with them.”

Jesse recalled Sombra hacking his eyesight. Then he remembered she had his pincode now too. He glanced to his comm nervously. Was it possible she was listening in?

Hanzo noticed him look away and his expression soured even more, “What are you hiding?”

“Hiding?” He cleared his throat nervously, “I ain’t hiding anything.”

“I heard you speaking with someone in the cathedral. Someone named Joel?”

Now the blush was all over his face. He scratched at his scruffy chin nervously, “Alright look. Joel Morricone is an alias I use to write a film blog. I swear it’s just a hobby! That nasty little hacker, _Sombra,_ was just trying to get under my skin, but Joel ain’t anything to be embarrassed about. She can’t hold anything over my head-”

“What about Reaper?”

Jesse’s face paled. That caught him off guard; “What about him?”

“I think you know who he is.”

Jesse looked aside, “I don’t know who he is.”

“You are a liar.” Hanzo growled. He grabbed Jesse by his hair and pushed his head up against the back of the wall so he couldn’t look away. Held against the wall, being forced to look at Hanzo… It was a little-

He pressed his thighs together.

“Tell me!” Hanzo demanded, “Who is Reaper?!”

“I swear Hanzo… I-“    _“Ingrate.”_

His voice caught in his throat.

"Well?"

“Look I honest to god don’t know who he is… I’m just afraid he _might_ be someone.”

“Who?”

He was annoyed. Sombra couldn’t find dirt on him, but here was Hanzo prying into the stuff that _really_ bothered him; “Gabe.”

“Gabriel Reyes is dead.”

“Yeah. I know. _I’m_ the one who shot him dead.” He rubbed at his nose, trying to keep from getting emotional, “But, y’see, in Blackwatch there was this doctor, _Moira_.” He said her name with the disgust it deserved, “She did funny things to him… And Overwatch doctors are real life miracle workers, Han. You saw what Angela did with Genji. It’s possible that Moira… She might of…” He drifted off.

Hanzo mulled over this. Or at least, that’s what Jesse guessed he was doing when he got that quiet. Finally Hanzo, let go, stood up straight again, staring off into some odd corner of the room, as if lost in thought.

“I see.” He finally said. Then turned his attention back to the cowboy, looking grave, "And you are interested in... finishing the job?"

Jesse couldn't look him in the eye. He knew that's how Hanzo was able to figure out he was lying. Such an easy tell, couldn't ever look a man in the eye and lie.

He took a deep breath, knowing he couldn't get away with lying so he might as well just be honest, "Yeah. Finish the job. Blackwatch was a tarnish on Overwatch's good name. I ain't proud to have been a part of it. The rest of them heroes? They don't know _shit_. 'Cept Genji, but he's let go of the past, as you would know. For some of us it's a little more difficult to just let go of it like that... Especially when it keeps kicking around at you. Time to lay the ghosts to rest once and for all."

Hanzo's expression didn't change once, but neither did he pull his eyes away from Jesse.

After a pensive moment, Hanzo finally looked away, "Hm." He grunted simply.

“What happened?” Jesse asked worried, “Did Reaper do something to you?”

“No.”

Jesse knew Hanzo wasn’t going to elaborate, which bothered him. He looked down into his ice cream again, concerned that Reaper might’ve said something. Angry that he might’ve _done_ something.

“You should be careful.” Hanzo warned him.

Jesse’s heart rate spiked, “What?”

“Eating like that.”

“Oh… This?” He held the gallon up to Hanzo, offering some. Hanzo recoiled.

“Lena gave it to me since I can’t smoke in here. Keep my mind off of cigs.”

“Hm.” Hanzo gave him a look up and down, “It is no wonder.”

“What?”

Hanzo poked him in the gut.

“That you have become so fat.”

Now he was red from anger, “God damn Hanzo! Just cuz I ain’t some Rock of Gibraltar like _you_ don’t mean I’m fat!”

Hanzo was walking away.

“Hanzo!” Jesse shouted back at him. But he left.

Jesse grumbled. He looked down at the ice cream then pushed it aside, blushing with shame.

\---------

_“Six Gun Killer” dusts off the long forgotten genre and brings it to the modern era, all without sacrificing the essence of a good old fashion wild western…"_

Hanzo sat with his legs hanging off the roof of the kitchen. He’d overheard it was a good place to watch the sunset and today was lovely. He puffed on a cigarillo he had nicked from Jesse’s things and he had to admit, Jesse didn’t have bad taste. With his thumb he scrolled through ‘Joel’s’ film blog, reveling in how _well_ written it was.

Was this _really_ the same man? Jesse spoke like an imbecile, but his writing was like that of an academic.

Hanzo remembered the way Jesse shot all three sisters at the same time. And with such an old fashioned gun, no less. Even with enhancements, that kind of skill was not something to scoff at.

Perhaps there was much more to Jesse McCree than Hanzo could’ve imagined…

Much more.

His mind wandered to _Blackwatch_ and Jesse’s conflicted relationship with its leader. The way Jesse had cried about Gabe was haunting him, and the silent words spoken on Reaper’s rotting lips were taunting him; _what was he trying to tell me?_

“Athena.” He coughed, not used to smoking.

“Yes, Hanzo Shimada?”

“Can I access the Overwatch archives?”

There was a pause then, “I apologize. But Overwatch archives are only accessible through the main computer.”

_The one in Winston’s lab?_

He sensed someone coming up from behind.

“Thank you.” He said quickly before rubbing out the cigarillo.

Genji appeared beside him. His helmet and visor were off; it was how Genji seemed to take to approaching him anymore.

“You are a smoker now?” Genji asked.

“I enjoy an occasional cigar.”

The mouthless cyborg chuckled, “Cloves… I have only known two other people who smoke clove scented cigars.”

 _He can smell?_ Hanzo wondered but didn’t ask; “It is not a habit I suggest you start.”

“Good thing I cannot then.” Genji sat down next to him, swinging his legs over the edge of the roof, “I have come to inform you that I will be returning to Nepal for a short period. Our actions at Blizzard World have raised a lot of attention. We have decided to suspend Overwatch activity for a short period of time.”

“Suspend activity?” Hanzo tried to hide his concern over the Overwatch agent in Australia. Would she suspend her activity to?

“Well… Not _all_ activity. Just the kind of activity that could get us in trouble.” He chuckled, “I will go to Nepal. Mei will continue her work in Australia-“

Hanzo exhaled, relieved.

“-A group of us will visit an engineer in Numbani who might be able to help with the omnic you killed. The rest of us will be going home.”

“The rest?” Hanzo asked.

“You are free to stay here, but you will be alone with Athena.” Genji suddenly stretched his arms and back, which Hanzo found puzzling – wasn’t most of his body cybernetic? Why would he feel the need to stretch? “Even Winston will be leaving- visiting Lena and Emily in London.”

Hanzo’s hand stiffened on his comm; that meant the main computer with the archives would be open.

“Oh! I almost forgot!” Genji added before giving Hanzo a sly look, “Bastion will be here… And _Jesse_.”

Hanzo angrily looked away, trying to pretend that didn’t matter to him, “Oh? The cowboy has no better place to be?”

“No. He has nowhere to go.”

 _Nowhere to go?_ For the first time Hanzo wondered where _home_ was for Jesse.

Genji noticed Hanzo’s bemusement; “Before he came here he was a drifter. Kind of like you, Hanzo.”

Hanzo tried to pretend that didn’t affect him, but the tightness in his chest was very difficult to hide. He imagined Jesse alone in a train car, at the back of a bar, wandering through forests from hideout to hideout, or holing up in an abandoned house. Passing through hundreds of towns and cities but never staying long enough to settle. He thought of himself and Jesse as mirrored images, huddled up in the bitterness of a night alone, with only darkness as your companion. Like a ghost; forgotten at best, hunted at worst…

“It is a beautiful sunset.” Genji said.

Hanzo returned to the warmth of Gibraltar. The sun was just touching the waterline, turning lazy ships into black dots on the horizon.

They were quiet for a moment, gazing out at the scene. Hanzo remembered a beach in Kanagawa where the two had climbed up on the hotel roof just to watch the sunset.

Genji spoke a little quieter, “You… are welcome to come to Nepal with me.”

If Genji could blush he probably would’ve been. He ran his hand through his hair; the old nervous habit. Hanzo almost said yes… But then considered; visiting a monastery full of robots with a cyborg?

“I will remain here.”

Genji was clearly disappointed as he looked down toward the ground below their feet, “Will you be here when I return?”

Hanzo recalled a much younger Genji asking him the same question every time he had to leave for an overnight trip of some sort. The younger’s brows would draw together with worry, and he would fiddle with a tuft of his hair or a string from his shirt. Genji never asked their mother or father the same question. Only Hanzo; _“Will you be here when I return?_ ” As if Hanzo alone was the only one Genji was afraid of disappearing.

“Yes. I will be here.”

\---------

Jesse waved as the MEKA jet rose up from the docking platform.

Hana waved excitedly from the cockpit. Her doctor, Yun, noticed Jesse waving, blushed and quickly looked away.

“Heh…” Jesse chuckled to himself, “Damn near as cute as you Angie…”

The jet carrying Hana, Yun, Lucio, Brigitte and Torbjorn hovered over Gibraltar, turned toward the ocean, then zipped away, leaving behind nothing but the wind. Jesse sucked the smoke of his clove cigarillo, watching the jet disappear over the horizon.

Now it was just him and Hanzo.

He glanced around the quiet facility, wondering where Hanzo was hiding.

“Like having the company of a ghost…” He muttered to himself. He finished his cigarillo, turned on his heel, and made way for the dormitory lounge.

It was a comfy enough space, albiet a bit musty. The lounge was the center of all the dorm rooms, with two large doors that led directly to a small garden outside that Bastion enjoyed tending too. He could see the omnic out there now, with Ganymede fluttering about his head.

On one end of the lounge was a kitchenette with a dining table, on the other a pool table next to a shelf of rotting boardgames and books. But Jesse went straight for the couch in the center. Kicking off his boots, he used his comm to connect to the netscreen. Absent-mindedly he flicked on a live stream of a news report and was a little surprised to see Usagi’s face looking back at him.

“The omnic’s death at Blizzard World was a tragedy.” Either the kid was really about to cry or he was an excellent actor. He with his boy band sat at a round table with a reporter. Close up on the netscreen, Jesse could better see what Usagi looked like, and Jesse squinted as he looked for any sign of a blemish, a pimple, a stray hair... Even just a freckle! But the boy was flawless, infuriatingly so. Flawless and forlorn, tugging at heart strings, as he recounted the Blizzard World accident.

Then his gaze suddenly hardened, “I hope they find the murderer and bring him to justice.”

Jesse was a little surprised; sure he didn’t know the pop star well but _that_ kind of malice seemed uncharacteristic for him. That’s when Jesse realized; Usagi must _know_ that it was Hanzo.

The not-so-pretty cowboy gruffed, grabbing his comm to change the stream, “Fuck off kid, no one likes you anyway.” A petty insult, he knew.

“He has a lot of fans, McCree.” A phantom voice responded, “Feeling a little jealous?”

Jesse jumped up from the couch as the netscreen fizzled into purple skulls and then Sombra’s pixelated face appeared, “ _Hola –_ been a while.”

Jesse looked around nervously for any sign of Hanzo, then returned his attention to her, “Been wondering when you might rear your ugly head…”

He squinted, trying to make out where she might be, but the image was only that of her head, “I wanted to wait until you were all better~.” She feigned concern, "And you've dyed your hair back! Shame- the blonde suited you."

Jesse folded his arms and sat back into the couch, “So I’m guessin’ you’ve been able to weasel your way into our computers? Got everything you need, then?”

She laughed, a tinny digitized cackle, “You are such an old man. You know nothing about computers, do you?”

“Wouldn’t call myself an expert, no.”

“Your pincode only gives me access to _you._ ” She explained, “Though I _could_ use it to ‘weasel’ my way into your computers… But I have no interest in that. Reaper already got everything we wanted.”

The mention of Reaper gave him a chill.

“Alright.” He furrowed his brow, trying to look tough even though he knew he couldn’t threaten a hologram, “The hell you want with me then?”

“Actually, I am more interested in _Hanzo_.”

That threw him off. He surely couldn’t hide his surprise. She responded with a wily grin, “He’s hiding a lot from you… Maybe you can help me uncover some things.”

Jesse leaned in, “You want me to spy on him?”

“Well, it’s more that he wants something I want. And I don’t want him to get in my way.”

 _This_ was new information.

“Alright. You have my attention.”

He knew he was playing right into her hands, but he had to know...

“Remember that little mine in Akita you all blew up?”

He recalled Athena’s explanation: _The mine was being used to collect silver – a vital material in omnic construction._

“Is Talon building some kind of army?”

“Ah! Good job!” She teased, “Ten points for Jesse.”

Her playful demeanor was irritating, “Why are you telling me this?”

“Building an omnic army takes a lot of time and resources. Wouldn’t it be _much_ faster to recruit omnics already available?”

Now he wasn’t following; he gave her an odd look.

She clicked her tongue and shook her head, “You just lost all your points, McCree.”

He rubbed his eyes, “I hope you know that Hanzo is hiding around in here somewhere so either you’re gonna tell me what the hell this has to do with him or-“

“Okay okay!” She laughed, “There are enough omnics worldwide to have an entire army at our disposal… But you need a powerful program to control that many omnics. A _god_ program.”

He may not know computers but he had heard of god programs, “I thought those were just a legend…”

“They might be. I have reason to believe that they are _real_. At least, _Hanzo_ thinks they are real.”

Jesse frowned, “Hanzo is looking for a god program?”

She grinned, “Bingo!”

She could just be making stuff up, especially considering how much Hanzo seemed to dislike anything to do with omnics or computers, “How do you know this?”

“Let’s just say I have my sources.”

He smiled and shook his head, “You must think I’m real stupid to believe that.”

“Why do you think he’s hanging around with Overwatch anyway?”

Jesse _had_ been wondering, but he now realized that he had just… let it go. Accepted that Hanzo was going to be there with them. His heart began to race, as he realized he had, for one reason or another, maybe started _trusting_ Hanzo.

Sombra was impatient so she continued, “It is possible that a couple of junkrats found a god program in the Outback Omnium. And, if my information is correct, Overwatch has an agent in Australia that’s looking for them _right now_.”

Jesse sat there dumbfounded as all the pieces began falling into place; Hanzo’s sudden decision to say after declaring rather resolutely he was _‘leaving’_ , why he was insisting on sticking around when he clearly didn't want to be there.

 _“I knew it!”_ Jesse was ready to shout at the top of his lungs. And yet… Having his suspicions confirmed made him feel weirdly hurt.

“Awwww… Did I break your heart?”

“Tch. No.” He rubbed his nose and looked aside, “He’s a heartless S-O-B. Just surprised I didn’t figure it out myself first.”

“Sure you are.”

“Alright, great, so you’ve given me reason to keep an eye on him, but what makes you think I’d be feeding that information back to you little missy?”

“I have your pincode. I’ll aways know where you are.” Her hand appeared as she waved goodbye, “I’ll leave the rest up to you~” Her image disappeared.

The news report returned. Usagi and his boy band were laughing about something. Jesse McCree put his head in his hands and deflated.

_I’m an idiot._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you for reading!
> 
> Since I am pursuing this as a writing project to better my style, I am very interested in beta-readers / folks to bounce ideas off of. If you are interested, you can contact me via tumblr: <https://sailorscribble.tumblr.com/>
> 
> In fact, a big thank you to aregonsan for helping me through all of this! I cannot thank you enough!! (You all should check out his awesome McHanzo doodles~ <https://aregonsan.tumblr.com/>
> 
> A note regarding this chapter-  
> I loosely named our three assasins after 'fire, earth, and water':  
> Hina = "bright"  
> Tsuchida = Surname meaning "soil field"  
> Yuki = Yuki is a common name with a few different meanings, but can be a pun of "snow".


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